More than a quarter of California’s immigrants are illegal, according to a new study from the California Immigrant Policy Center.
In “Looking Forward: Immigrant Contributions to the Golden State,” researchers at the University of Southern California’s Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII) noted that more than one quarter (27%) of California residents are immigrants, a rate higher than any other state and significantly higher than New York which has the second highest rate at 22%.” The report determined that “of those 10.2 million immigrants, 2.6 million” are illegal immigrants, which is “about 26% of all immigrants in California,” while 47% are citizens.
In addition, illegal immigrants made up nearly 10% of the state’s workers and comprised “38% of the agriculture industry and 14% of the construction industry,” according to the report, which also found that illegal immigrants “contribute $130 billion to state GDP.” The state’s unemployment rate is 7.4%, but it is higher for minorities. The unemployment rate for blacks in California is 13%. For Hispanics in California, it is 9.4%.