How many child immigrants are in the us
The State of America's Children 2021
The State of America’s Children 2021 – Immigrant ChildrenBen Dawson2021-03-28T18:49:05-05:00
Immigrant Children
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CHILDREN IN THE U.S.— APPROXIMATELY 18 MILLION—ARE CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS.
Immigrants are a part of our families, workplaces, and houses of worship. They are friends and neighbors woven into the fabric of our communities. Critically, they are parents tucking children into bed each night.1 More than 1 in 4 (26 percent), or approximately 18 million, U.S. children lived with at least one immigrant parent in 2018.2 For America to flourish and prosper, we must commit to policies that promote all children’s well-being and center children of immigrants in these policies.
In direct opposition to children’s well-being, the Trump administration’s four-year legacy of dangerous, reckless policy choices has created a climate of confusion, fear, and impossible choices. The administration continuously attacked family unity, a foundational principle of child welfare protected by the U.S. Constitution.3
- Family separation is dangerous to children’s health, development, and well-being.4 Yet during the enforcement of the administration’s Zero Tolerance policy between April and June 2018, the government took 4,500 children from their parents.5 Although a court order forced the administration to end the policy in June 2018, 1,100 more children were taken from their parents between June 2018 and November 2019.6 As of October 2020, the parents of 545 children taken from their families cannot be found.7
- Family separation is still happening. Today, there are fresh threats of separations due to the Remain in Mexico program, which has trapped nearly 60,000 people in terrible conditions at the U.S. border as they are forced to wait for their immigration proceedings in Mexico.8 Parents are faced with the impossible choice between an indefinite wait in dangerous tent camps and sending their children alone across the border.
9 - Parents detained together with their children in the U.S. have also faced family separation. In May 2020, families told their lawyers that ICE officers asked them to make the unconscionable choice of either separating from their children or staying in indefinite detention during a global pandemic.10
Family separation as well as the battle over the border wall and who will pay for it have been highly visible horrors, but the Trump administration’s less visible shifts in regulatory and executive action also erected barriers to critical, life-saving benefits and services, affecting the lives of millions in the U.S.11 What does that “invisible wall” look like?
A hungry child.
- Fear and confusion—known as the chilling effect—over intentionally complex Trump administration “public charge” regulations are causing families to disenroll or forgo health care, nutrition, public service, and other economic support programs.12 For example, between 2016-2019, Texas experienced a precipitous drop in enrollment in benefit programs,13 including a 13.
5 percent drop in SNAP enrollment between December 2017 and April 2019.14 A qualitative study of 32 geographically diverse organizations in Texas by CDF-Texas found that anti-immigrant policies such as public charge caused many mixed-status families to fear enrolling even their citizen children.15 - A nationally representative survey found that 11.4 percent of adults in immigrant families with children reported they or a family member avoided a nutrition program (SNAP or WIC) in 2019.16
A child without access to health care.
- More than 1 in 4 immigrant children did not have health coverage in 2019 (25.5 percent compared to 5.1 percent of native-born citizen children).17
- As of January 2020, 35 states and the District of Columbia provided health coverage to lawfully residing immigrant children without a five-year wait,18 and as of July 2019, six states and the District of Columbia use state-only funds to provide Medicaid coverage to income-eligible children regardless of immigration status.
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A scared child.
- Children’s feelings of personal safety are linked to the perceived safety of those who care for them.20 Chronic uncertainty and distress about the threat of enforcement activity destroy children’s sense of safety and their mental health.21 The Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement choices, including continuous threats to DACA, heightened fears of deportation.
- More than 250,000 children in the U.S. have at least one parent who is a DACA recipient.22
- An estimated 6.9 million children lived with undocumented parents.23
Beyond tearing down the harmful policies that separate families and chill access to critical services, we must lean forward and build a permanent solution to this nation’s immigration crisis so that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable, and loving family and community.
Immigrant Families are Essential Members of Our Communities and Must Be Prioritized in COVID-19 Relief
Right now, immigrant workers are at the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis, keeping all of us healthy, fed, and cared for in health care, retail, manufacturing, and other essential industries.:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2909756/what-percentage-of-people-are-immigrants-guess-actual-value-difference_chartbuilder.0.png)
24 In recognition of the critical role immigrant families play in our communities, Congress must ensure that COVID relief packages are inclusive of our immigrant children and families.25
For example, our leaders have the opportunity to make economic stimulus payments inclusive and fair. Immigrants and their families must be included in any new COVID stimulus payments and receive retroactive stimulus from when they were cut out of relief last year—regardless of the kind of taxpayer identification they use.
COVID relief, including economic stimulus payments, help families make ends meet during this crisis, and it is well established that cash assistance also supports children’s well-being and healthy development.26 Our leaders must act swiftly to ensure the next COVID relief package is the most robust and inclusive yet.
Who Are Children in Immigrant Families?
In recent years, children in immigrant families regularly have been at the center of major public policy discussions, such as those regarding the southern border of the United States and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, among others.
To promote an accurate understanding of this population and constructive conversations about how to support these children and their families, it is important to understand basic terminology and key facts about this group in the United States.
Definitions About Children in Immigrant Families
Immigrant or Foreign-born
The terms immigrant and foreign-born are interchangeable and refer to individuals who were not U.S. citizens at birth but may have become citizens through naturalization. Those who are not citizens may include lawful permanent residents, those with temporary visas, refugees and asylum seekers or unauthorized immigrants.
U.S. Citizens
Citizenship usually is acquired when a child is born in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands or the Northern Marianas or born abroad to American parents. Citizenship also can be obtained through the naturalization process.
Naturalization
The process in which a lawful permanent resident becomes a U.S. citizen after meeting requirements in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Lawful permanent residents (also known as “green card” holders)
This permanent status may be obtained through multiple methods, including family relationships, employment sponsorships, humanitarian protection (for refugees and asylum seekers) or the Diversity Visa Program lottery.
Asylum Seekers and Refugees
These are individuals who need protection due to persecution or fear of persecution “on account of race, religion, nationality and/or membership in a particular social group or political opinion.” Asylum seekers submit applications at a port of entry to the United States or when they are already in the country, while refugees are outside of the United States when they are considered for resettlement.
Unauthorized (Undocumented) Immigrants
This term refers to foreign-born individuals who are not citizens and not legal residents.
This includes people who entered the United States without inspection and those who were legally admitted on a temporary basis but stayed beyond their required departure date.
Migrants
Generally, a migrant refers to someone who changed his or her country of usual residence regardless of the reason. It may be voluntary or forced migration, and it may be temporary or permanent.
Nativity
Nativity refers to whether individuals are native-born versus foreign-born. Native-born is defined as born in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands or the Northern Marianas or born abroad to American parents.
First-generation Immigrant Children
This term typically refers to foreign-born children with at least one foreign-born parent.
Second-generation Immigrant Children
This term typically refers to native-born children with at least one foreign-born parent.
Children in Immigrant Families
Generally, this term includes both first- and second-generation immigrant children.
Key Facts About Children in Immigrant Families
How many children are in immigrant families in the United States?
One in four — or 18.2 million children are in immigrant families in the United States — in 2019, up from one in five in the early 2000s.
What states have the largest share of children in immigrant families?
California (46%), New Jersey (40%), Nevada (36%), New York (35%) and Texas and Florida (both 33%). See the data on children in immigrant families from all states.
How many children in immigrant families are U.S. citizens?
In 2019, 90% — an increase from 84% in 2005.
How many children in immigrant families do not have parents who are U.S. citizens (i.e., neither parent at home is a citizen)?
In 2019, 37% — a figure that has been declining for a decade.
How many U.S. children are foreign-born?
In 2019, 3%, or 2.5 million.
Immigrant Youth and Youth in Immigrant Families
How many young people are immigrants or live in immigrant families in the United States?
Nearly 10.
4 million or 22% of young people ages 14 to 24 were foreign-born or lived with at least one foreign-born parent in 2015–2019.
What states have the largest share of these youth?
California (44%), Nevada (34%), New Jersey (33%), New York (32%) and Texas and Florida (both 31%). See data for all states.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of this population?
More than three-quarters (77%) of Asian and Pacific Islander youth and young adults were immigrants or lived in immigrant families in 2015–2019. The same was true for 51% of Latino, 21% of two or more race, 14% of Black, 11% of American Indian and 6% of non-Hispanic white youth.
What share of young people in immigrant families live in low-income households?
Nearly half (44%) in 2015–2019, with state levels ranging from 26% in Hawaii to 56% in New Mexico, among states with available data.
What percentage of youth in immigrant families live in high-poverty areas?
In 2015–2019, 12%, down from 20% in 2011–2015.
At the state level, figures were as low as 1% in Alaska and as high as 27% in New Mexico in 2015–2019.
How likely are fourth-grade English language learners to score below proficient in reading?
Nationwide, 91% of fourth graders who were also English language learners scored below proficient in reading in 2019. By comparison: Just 62% of their English-speaking classmates failed to achieve reading proficiency.
Socioeconomic and Housing Statistics for Children in Immigrant Families
How likely are children in immigrant families to live in low-income working households?
One in three in 2019, compared to one in five children in U.S.-born families, a gap that has narrowed only slightly over the last decade.
What is the median income for immigrant and non-immigrant families with children?
In 2019, the median income for households with children in immigrant families was $67,900, compared to $78,000 for households with children in U.
S.-born families. Households with children in immigrant families consistently have had lower median incomes in recent decades, although incomes substantially increased for both household types since 2010.
How does the ability to afford housing compare?
In 2019, 38% of children in immigrant families lived in households with a high housing cost burden (i.e., more than 30% of monthly income spent on housing), versus 27% of children in U.S.-born families. While housing cost burdens have declined for both groups since 2010, this disparity has persisted since 2000–2002, the first year of data availability.
How does home ownership compare for immigrant and non-immigrant families with children?
Children in U.S.-born families are more likely to live in households that own their homes (65% in 2019) than children in immigrant families (54%), a gap that has held relatively steady for two decades.
What share of children in immigrant families live in crowded housing compared to children in non-immigrant families?
In 2019, children in immigrant families were close to three times more likely to live in crowded housing (defined as more than one person per room).
While this is an improvement from 36% in 2000–2002, it compares to just 10% of children in U.S.-born families in the same years.
How likely are children in immigrant families to have no parent at home with a high school diploma or equivalent?
In 2019, 20% of children in immigrant families had no parent with a high school diploma, a decrease from 29% in 2000–2002. Among children in U.S.-born families, the percentage is much lower and declined from 9% to 5% during this 20-year period.
What share of children in immigrant families live in linguistically isolated households?
In 2019, 18% of children in immigrant families lived in a linguistically isolated household. States with the greatest share were Louisiana (25%), Alabama (24%), Kentucky (24%) and Iowa (24%), among those with available data. (Note: A linguistically isolated household is one in which no person age 14 or older speaks only English, and no person age 14 or older who speaks English as a second language speaks it very well.
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Learn More About Immigrant Children
The Annie E. Casey Foundation offers a range of reports and resources to promote the health and well-being of children and families, including the immigrant population. Explore the resources below and sign up for our newsletters to continue learning.
- See all data by family nativity on the KIDS COUNT Data Center
- Blog post: Making Public Systems Work Better for Immigrant Families (2018)
- Report: Noncitizen Youth in the Juvenile Justice System (2018)
- Report: Race for Results (2017)
- Report: Serving Immigrant Families Through Two-Generation Programs (2016)
- Report: Improving Immigrant Access to Workforce Services (2016)
- Podcast: Casey’s New Podcast Tackles Race, Immigration and Inequality (2016)
In an American school, no one cares that a new student has just arrived in the country and does not speak English. To do this, he will be offered free classes in which he will quickly master it.
The main difference between the American school is that it focuses on the personality of the child and his ability to think, analyze, draw conclusions, and not on simple memorization of the material. nine0008
If you can choose a kindergarten at your own discretion and the number of groups, then choosing a school is different. All American schools are strictly tied to the place of residence. Therefore, families choose their place of residence not only in accordance with their expectations about the area and its infrastructure, but also, first of all, because of the school.
Features of American schools
Each school is evaluated on a 10-point scale according to the achievements of its graduates. You can see the rating of the school on the site Greatschools.
org . It is enough to enter the Zip-code (zip code) in the search box on this site and see all available schools and their ratings.
Adaptation of children takes place in a friendly environment - both children and teachers try to help newcomers. At the same time, the rules of the school are somewhat different from Russian ones. First, discipline is strictly observed. All violations of discipline are reported to the teacher. He, in turn, informs his parents. Secondly, if a child misbehaves, parents can be fined. nine0003
There are no parent-teacher meetings in an American school. Instead, school conferences, when parents of one child have 15 minutes to talk with the teacher face to face or on the phone. But the contacts don't end there. Parents of schoolchildren receive dozens of letters from the school every day. For example, a child is distracted in class or falls and scratches his knee - parents are immediately informed.
Individualized education in US schools.
Each child has mandatory lessons, as well as those that he can attend based on his interests. For example, if a child excels in some subject better than others, he is not forced to sit with others in the lesson, he has the right to go to the same subject, but with a class older. nine0003
American schools are also organizationally different:
- Primary school - up to grade 5.
- Senior - from 9 to 12 grades.
And all these are not just different classes, these are different schools (buildings).
To enter a prestigious college, a student must have high scores on the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test), an analogue of our USE.
Public and private schools in America
0013 private schools , of which there are almost 35 thousand in the country. The cost of training starts from $10,000 per year and reaches $85-90 thousand. Private religious schools will be cheaper, since they are also funded by churches. The higher the status of the school and the results of its graduates, the higher the cost of education, respectively.
In addition to private and public schools, charter schools are developed in America . They are funded by the state like a public school, but with a more simplified management system. nine0007 To get into a charter school, you need to have academic achievements and participate in a selective lottery.
Public schools also offer children free meals and a school bus.
Children of immigrants have the same rights and obligations not only for quality free education . They also apply for participation in various projects in sports, art, science. All this can later help you get a grant for free education at the best universities in the world. nine0014
Read also about child care availability for immigrant families in the US .
1 in 12 US children born to illegal immigrants
1 in 12 US children are the offspring of illegal immigrants, according to a new study released by the NGO Pew Hispanic Center.
If undocumented immigrants account for just over 4% of the population of America, the proportion of their children from all children born in the country exceeds 8%. nine0003
About 340,000 of the 4.3 million babies born in America last year had parents who did not have the right to stay in the country. There is another figure: of the 5.1 million children of illegal immigrants who were in the United States in 2009, approximately 79% were eligible for American citizenship by birthplace. Such results could spark new controversy over the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution, which states that children born in the country automatically become citizens of the United States. nine0003
"Undocumented immigrants tend to be younger than the rest of the US population and more likely to marry and have children," said Pew Center senior demographer Jeffrey Passel.
There are currently 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. About 75% of this number are representatives of Latin American countries.
One in four children under 18 in the US is Hispanic. With the standard of living of Americans falling, general dissatisfaction with the number of illegal immigrants in the country is growing. As a result, representatives of the Republican Party proposed amending the 14th amendment to the Constitution, which could limit the issuance of citizenship to all babies that appear on the territory of the country. As early as last month, Senator Lindsey Graham supported the issue of a possible review of the citizenship of children born to illegal immigrants. According to him, the existence of such a law provokes people to secretly enter the country and give birth to children who could receive the benefits of US citizens. Graham's legislators make it clear that the 14th Amendment was created to emancipate slaves after the American Civil War, not to call all descendants of illegal immigrants citizens. nine0003
One of the Republican senators' arguments is that illegal immigrants can have children in the United States, obtain citizenship for them, and then take them back to their homeland and raise them as terrorists.
