11.2 Million Illegal Immigrations in the United States
According to the nonpartisan research organization in Washington D.C., the Pew Hispanic Center, there are around 11.2 million illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. Although the high unemployment rate, record high deportations under the Obama administration and crack down efforts by individual states have all theoretically contributed to curbing the illegal immigrant population, the actual numbers remain unchanged from the previous year. The eight million illegal immigrants make about 5 percent of the U.S. workforce. At 58 percent, the majority of illegal immigrants come from the bordering country of Mexico.

Growth and Decline of the Illegal Immigrant Population
The illegal immigration population peaked in 2007 at roughly 12 million and then decreased over the next two years to 11.1 million in 2009. The Pew Center concluded that the decline was due to the declining number of people coming illegally from Mexico and Central America. There appeared to be no signs of illegal immigrants departing from the United States in noticeable numbers.

Government Efforts at Curbing Illegal Immigration
Under the Obama administration, federal immigration authorities reportedly deported 400,000 illegal immigrants each year in the past two years. The Department of Homeland Security projects these numbers as the highest the U.S. has seen in its history. In addition to the deportation, many states have engaged in efforts aimed to crack down local illegal immigration. Despite effort by both the federal and state government, the illegal immigrant population remains stable. A demographer and co-author of the Pew report, Jeffery S. Passel notes that the enforcement is not "pushing people to leave the U.S." The Pew report's findings bring bad news to the groups that advocate attrition through enforcement, a strategy that inspired tougher state measures. For instance, last year Arizona passed laws that were intended to make life more difficult for illegal immigrants. Other states such as Oklahoma, Georgia, and South Caroline have also enacted tough laws against illegal immigration.

Reasons Causing the Illegal Immigrant Population to Remain Stable
Some advocates attributed the stagnant illegal immigrant population to the Obama administration's decision to end its "high-profile raids" in the workplaces. Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, suggests that another reason is the shift away from worksite enforcement. This makes illegal immigrants more comfortable to stay at work because they feel less threatened.

Birthright Citizenship: Should it be Canceled for Children of Illegal Immigrants?
According to the Pew report, around 350,000 infants were born in 2009 to families that had at least one illegal immigrant parent. This number, also unchanged from the year before, represents about 8 percent of newborns. This brings the issue of birthright citizenship into debate. Conservatives have proposed initiatives to retract granting U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrant parents. The Conservatives cite the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution stating that illegal immigrants have children in the U.S. in order to attain American citizenship for them. Furthermore, the Pew report notes that illegal immigrant parents of the newborn infants have been living in the U.S. for at least five years.