Data: Every 2 New Immigrants to the U.S. Bring 7 Foreign Relatives with Them

Every two new immigrants to the United States bring roughly seven foreign relatives with them, creating an enormous, never-ending flow of family-based immigration.

Previously unreleased data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reveals the number of foreign relatives who enter the U.S. simply because their family member is an immigrant, in a process known as “chain migration.”

According to the data, chain migration is the largest driver of legal immigration, with every two new immigrants bringing seven foreign relatives with them to the U.S., making up more than 70 percent of the current immigration system.

Between 2005 and 2016, roughly 9.3 million foreign nationals have come to the U.S. as chain migrants for no other purpose than to reunite with extended family members. In that same time period, a total of 13.06 million foreign nationals have entered the U.S. through the legal immigration system.

Currently, only one in 15 foreign nationals admitted to the U.S. come to the country based on skills and employment. Though roughly 150,000 employment-based Green Cards are allotted every year, half of those Green Cards actually go to the foreign relatives of employees.

The DHS data is the first time the agency has ever released chain migration statistics broken down into the country of origin from which foreign nationals arrive to the U.S.

In the last decade, 1.7 million chain migrants have entered the country from Mexico, with the average Mexican immigrant bringing roughly six foreign relatives with them to the U.S. Mexico sends more chain migrants to the U.S. than any other country.

After President Trump announced the end of the President Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, both political establishments have scrambled to come up with a plan that gives amnesty to nearly 800,000 to 3.5 million illegal aliens who have been shielded from deportation or are eligible for the DACA program.

Such an amnesty deal would trigger a larger chain migration over the next decade — if an end to chain migration is not a part of the deal — that could potentially bring anywhere from one to 19 million new foreign nationals to the U.S.