Statistically Speaking

Always a hot-button issue, the illegal immigration debate has taken to the streets and is in the dialogue of mainstream America. The United States is a nation full of immigrants; here are some figures showing how prevalent immigration has been.

The number of people who landed on Ellis Island hoping to be processed: 12 million

Number of legal immigrants that came to the United States between 1991 and 2000: 9.1 million

Average number of annual legal immigration: 900,000

Legal immigrants of European descent (1820–2004): 39 million

Estimated number of illegal immigrants in the United States currently: 11–30 million

Number of refugees that arrived in the United States between 1995 and 2004: 52,835