With so much debate going on in the public and political arenas about Trump’s proposed travel bans and border walls, I got curious as to where we actually stood in the US in terms of legal and illegal immigration and our intake of refugees. I recently sat down to see what I could dig up for US immigration statistics. Here are the more interesting stats I was able to find.
As always, I will be adding to and updating this list as close to monthly as possible or as I come across new stats. Be sure to check back often for the latest numbers.
Please note that some of these numbers are easier to find than others, so some of these are based on news reports and not official governmental tallies. In other words: This is the best I can find, but I don’t guarantee anything.
US Immigration Statistics and Facts
Decrease in US boarder removals by ICE from 2016-2017:
Percentage of US deportations by ICE in FY 2016 that involved people at or near the border:
Number US office of Field Operations Immigrant Inadmissibility Determination in FY 2016:
Number of US Border Patrol Apprehensions in FY 2016:
Number of ICE Arrests in FY 2017:
Number of ICE Arrests in FY 2016:
Number of US Department of Homeland Security Deportations in FY 2016:
Total number of legal immigrants to the US in FY 2017:
Total number of legal immigrants to the US in FY 2016:
Total number of legal immigrants to the US in FY 2015:
Total number of legal immigrants to the US in FY 2014:
Total number of legal immigrants to the US in FY 2013:
Most popular country of origin for legal US immigrants each year FY 2015-2017:
Second most popular country of origin for legal US immigrants each year FY 2015-2017:
Third most popular country of origin for legal US immigrants in FY 2016 and FY 2017:
Third most popular country of origin for legal US immigrants in FY 2015:
Number of US adoptions of immigrant orphans in FY 2015:
Most popular country of origin for US adoptions of immigrant orphans in FY 2015:
Number of refugee arrivals to the US in FY 2015:
Number of refugee arrivals to the US in FY 2014:
Number of refugee arrivals to the US in FY 2013:
Number of refugee arrivals to the US in FY 2012:
Number of refugee arrivals to the US in FY 2011:
Number of refugee arrivals to the US in FY 2010:
Year with highest number of refugee arrivals to the US since 1980:
Most popular country of origin for refugees to the US in FY 2015:
Number of persons naturalized as US citizens in FY 2015:
Number US citizen naturalization petitions denied in 2015:
Year with highest number of US citizen naturalizations since 1907:
Year with highest number of US citizen naturalization petitions denied since 1907:
Estimated number of unauthorized immigrants living in the US in 2014:
Estimated number of unauthorized immigrants living in the US in 1990:
Year with estimated peak number of unauthorized immigrants living in the US:
Estimated number of unauthorized immigrants in the US that live with their US-born children:
Last updated 2012
Estimated number of unauthorized immigrants that were given temporary protection from deportation under various recent Federal actions:
Last updated 9/21/16