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MANILA, Philippines -- Filipinos make up the fourth largest group of unauthorized migrants in the United States as of January 2008, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a report released Tuesday.
Of the 11.6 million unauthorized migrants believed to still be in the US, the DHS said Mexicans comprised the most, with 7.03 million.
After Mexico came El Salvador (570,000), Guatemala (430,000), the Philippines and Honduras (300,000), Korea (240,000), China (220,000), Brazil (180,000), Ecuador (170,000), and India (160,000).
?The ten leading countries of origin represented 83 percent of the unauthorized immigrant population for 2008,? the report said.
North America, including Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America, accounted for 8.8 million of 11.6 million unauthorized migrants in the US until last year. Asia follows with 1.2 million, and South America with 850,000.
The DHS also tracked where most of these illegal migrants are, with California hosting the most, with 2.85 million.
It was followed by Texas with 1.68 million; Florida, 840,000; New York, 640,000; Arizona, 560,000; Illinois, 550,000; Georgia, 460,000; New Jersey, 400,000; North Carolina, 380,000; and Nevada, 280,000.
Males make up 57 percent of the illegal migrants, and an even larger percentage (62) of those in the 18- to 34-year-old age group.
On the other hand, females make up 52 percent of illegal migrants aged 45 and older.
The DHS said that about 37 percent (or 4.3 million) of the illegal migrants entered the US since January 2000, 28 percent (or 3.3 million) between 2000 and 2004, and 9 percent (or 1.1 million) between 2005 and 2007.
?Forty-four percent came to live in the United States in the 1990s and 19 percent entered during the 1980s,? the report said.
The DHS also said the number of illegal migrants was lower than the 11.8 million it estimated in 2007.
When the US government resumed its survey of migrants in 2005, there were 10.5 million unauthorized migrants and in 2006, 11.3 million. The last survey before 2005 was in 2000, when 8.5 million unauthorized migrants were listed.
