Study finds decrease in illegal immigration rate

For the past few years, North Carolina has faced an increase in undocumented immigration. But a recent report found that the trend is reversing.

According to a Pew Hispanic Center report, the number of undocumented immigrants in North Carolina decreased by about 21 percent — going from 350,000 in 2008 to 275,000 in 2009.

About 200,000 undocumented immigrants are in the labor force in North Carolina — about 4.4 percent of total workers, the report said.

While many officials say that the decrease in undocumented immigration means a decline in agricultural labor, others say it will open up job opportunities.

Pablo Escobar, board treasurer of Raleigh-based El Pueblo Inc., said the decline will affect the construction, agriculture and service industries, where many undocumented immigrants are employed.

Some farmers are already seeing a decline in labor, which is hard to replace, Escobar said.

He also said that additional law enforcement has contributed to the decline in immigration. Laws such as 287(g) have allowed local law enforcement officials to enforce immigration policies if an undocumented immigrant is arrested.

“Anti-immigrant laws are affecting the quality of life, making the immigrant population feel under siege,” Escobar said.

Tighter regulations also make it hard for undocumented immigrants to get drivers’ licenses, which could be a contributing factor toward the decline.

Without a driver’s license, immigrants cannot work, so they leave the country, Escobar said.

He added that if the wage earner in a family of undocumented immigrants is discovered and deported, then the entire family is deported.

The decline might increase the availability of jobs in North Carolina, where the unemployment rate was 9.8 percent in July, said William Gheen, president of Americans for Legal Immigration.

Sejal Zota, an immigration law specialist in the UNC School of Government, said that a federal program called Secure Communities might have also had an effect on the decreasing number of undocumented immigrants.

Congress funded the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement program in 2008.

Through this program, if an undocumented immigrant is arrested, the person’s fingerprints are automatically sent to the federal database to determine whether the person is facing any charges. Based on the findings, the person could be deported.

Thirty-nine of 100 North Carolina counties use the program, including Orange County in 2009. Zota said the goal is to spread the program throughout the U.S.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.