If you are curious about the areas in the United States with the most illegal immigrants, you will definitely be interested in the 25 cities with most illegal immigrants in America. The issue of illegal immigration has reached a fever point ever since Donald Trump made it a key point in his campaign for the presidency of the country, and now that he has been elected and is looking to make good on his promises, the debate is still raging strongly.
While many thought that Trump’s promise to build a wall at the Mexico border was just hyperbole, an attempt to rouse the people in his support, his subsequent emphasis on carrying out this promise shows that life for illegal immigrants is going to become much harder. Many people wonder why people move illegally to the US, risking everything. The answer is that they are looking for a better life, which includes job security, and the truth is, they do have better chances of finding work in America, even if they are undocumented, with the most common industries for illegal immigrants being agriculture, domestic services, and construction as well.
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Now you may not know this, but the United States has many sanctuary cities. So what exactly is a sanctuary city? Well, cities like San Francisco and New York have tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who have made a life for themselves in the country and actually contribute to the economy instead of draining it. Therefore, the cities have decided to not cooperate completely with federal law enforcement agencies when they send requests for detaining or pursuing undocumented or illegal immigrants. However, Trump has now stated that the cities which refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement will have to deal with budget cuts to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, a move which has seen vociferous opposition from the mayors of the sanctuary cities. If you want an idea of the states which host the most illegal immigrants, you might want to head on over to 15 States With the Most Illegal Immigrants Per Capita.
But how many illegal immigrants are there exactly? According to PEW Research, there are around 11 million undocumented immigrants scattered throughout the country. So which cities hold the most immigrants? To answer this question, we once again referred to PEW. However, we did not just consider the city or metropolitan areas with the most illegal immigrants, as there is little doubt that the largest sanctuary cities such as New York would have the highest such populations. We also considered the percentage of the total population that is made up of illegal immigrants to get a fairer idea of which are the cities with most illegal immigrants in America.
25. Yakima, WA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 25,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 9.9%
Insider Monkey score: 2.5
The percentage of the total population comprising of illegal immigrants has been a source of concern to Yakima’s residents, with awareness being spread about illegal aliens in the area.
24. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO
Total number of illegal immigrants: 130,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 4.7%
Insider Monkey score: 3.5
The illegal population of Denver is so significant, a crackdown on such undocumented people is actually significantly affecting the restaurant businesses, where around 20% of the workers are illegal immigrants.
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23. Austin-Round Rock, TX
Total number of illegal immigrants: 100,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 5%
Insider Monkey score: 4
The number 23 on our list of cities with most illegal immigrants in America is Austin that is one of the many places where a federal crackdown on illegal immigrants is being conducted, which will likely have repercussions on many families.
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21. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 50,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 5.7%
Insider Monkey score: 5
There is good news for the illegal immigrants in this metropolis, as local law enforcement agencies have stated that they will not act upon the Executive Order enacted by Trump.
21. El Paso, TX
Total number of illegal immigrants: 50,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 5.7%
Insider Monkey score: 5
El Paso is actually evidence that illegal immigrants may not actually be a bad thing for a city, as despite a large illegal alien population, the city has one of the lowest crime rates in the entire country!
19. Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, FL
Total number of illegal immigrants: 30,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 8.4%
Insider Monkey score: 5.5
The Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island area already has a law in place to identify and round up suspected illegal immigrants, and in fact, the city is so proactive that they managed this before Trump was even elected.
19. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 250,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 4.5%
Insider Monkey score: 5.5
Atlanta is another city which has taken strict action against illegal immigrants even before the election of Trump, a move which has seen more arrests made from the Atlanta field office than anywhere else in the entire country.
18. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI
Total number of illegal immigrants: 425,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 4.5%
Insider Monkey score: 6.5
It seems that Chicago’s illegal population is only set to increase as more and more illegal immigrants are moving to the sanctuary city in order to ensure their safety.
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17. Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 35,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 8.1%
Insider Monkey score: 7.5
While many would not consider Santa Maria a hub for illegal immigrants, over 8% of the population consists of illegal immigrants, and this issue took the country by storm when an illegal immigrant sexually assaulted and killed an Air Force veteran.
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16. San Diego-Carlsbad, CA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 170,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 5.3%
Insider Monkey score: 10.5
San Diego is one of the few cities on the list of 25 cities with the most illegal immigrants in America, which is within 200 miles of the Mexican border.
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14. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 240,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 5.3%
Insider Monkey score: 11.5
San Francisco has taken the issue of illegal immigrants to heart, trying to protect them in any way possible, which includes spending millions of taxpayer dollars in order to provide illegal immigrants with proper legal representation in a case of deportation proceedings.
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14. Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Total number of illegal immigrants: 40,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 9.0%
Insider Monkey score: 11.5
Brownsville that ranked 14th on our list of cities with most illegal immigrants in America has recently attracted controversy, with reports claiming that taxpayer dollars are being used to open a shelter for the illegal immigrants, a move which has drawn strong criticism from the residents.
13. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT
Total number of illegal immigrants: 65,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 6.7%
Insider Monkey score: 12
Bridgeport has done a lot to ensure the safety of their undocumented residents, which includes not cooperating with federal agencies and providing cards to allow such residents to open a bank account and deal with the police without any trouble.
12. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Total number of illegal immigrants: 250,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 5.5%
Insider Monkey score: 15.5
Following Bridgeport’s steps, Phoenix is also considering providing ID cards to its substantial illegal immigrant population, a move which has been started to allow witnesses to report crimes without fear.
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10. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 120,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 6.5%
Insider Monkey score: 16.5
Meanwhile, San Jose has chosen to follow the path set by San Francisco by providing its undocumented residents with proper legal aid.
10. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 250,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 5.6%
Insider Monkey score: 16.5
The illegal immigrants residing in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario are at risk of being deported, as raids have been conducted in these areas to identify illegal immigrants. Now, let’s see what’s next on our list of cities with most illegal immigrants in America.
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9. Salinas, CA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 50,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 10.2%
Insider Monkey score: 17
The undocumented residents in Salinas generally work in the fields, which is apt considering its primarily a rural area.
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8. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 1,150,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 5.7%
Insider Monkey score: 21.5
The New York-Newark-Jersey City is home to the highest illegal immigrant population in the entire country.
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7. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX
Total number of illegal immigrants: 85,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 10.2%
Insider Monkey score: 22.5
McAllen, one of the cities with most illegal immigrants in America is just one of the many places which saw a rise in illegal immigrants before the election, as the people believed that they would get amnesty from Hillary, or a complete ban from Trump.
6. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
Total number of illegal immigrants: 170,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 8.0%
Insider Monkey score: 23
The number 6 on our list of cities with most illegal immigrants in America is Las Vegas that is another place where anti-immigration policies are being strictly enforced, as evidenced by the 87 immigrants who were arrested just last year in raids authorized by Obama, of which many had entered the country illegally.
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5. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Total number of illegal immigrants: 400,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 6.8%
Insider Monkey score: 23.5
Arlington has demonstrated its support for illegal immigrants and even debated allowing such undocumented residents to obtain a valid driver’s license last year.
3. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
Total number of illegal immigrants: 450,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 7.3%
Insider Monkey score: 25.5
Miami has dropped a bombshell, becoming the first metropolitan area to drop its sanctuary status amid threats by Trump of a reduction in federal spending.
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3. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Total number of illegal immigrants: 475,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 6.9%
Insider Monkey score: 25.5
The next on our list of cities with most illegal immigrants in America is Dallas that is as dependent on its undocumented population as the undocumented population is on the city, and deportation of the population would destroy the economy of the major city.
2. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Total number of illegal immigrants: 1,000,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 7.5%
Insider Monkey score: 28
Los Angeles has also looked for ways to help its illegal population, which has seen it put aside $10 million to provide legal representation to those being deported.
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1. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Total number of illegal immigrants: 575,000
Percentage of total population comprising of illegal immigrants: 8.7%
Insider Monkey score: 30
The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area tops our list of 25 cities with most illegal immigrants in America, with over half a million undocumented people residing in the metropolitan area.
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