Demystifying unauthorized immigration to the US
An estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the US as of 2022, but the term “unauthorized” covers a lot of ground. It can range from people who have crossed into the country illegally, as well as people who are here lawfully while awaiting an asylum decision. There’s no precise headcount, but here’s what we know from the data.
- An unauthorized immigrant is a noncitizen without lawful permanent resident status or a valid visa. They can be people who enter without inspection (meaning they crossed the border between official ports of entry), overstay/violate temporary visa terms, have temporary protections like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), or are awaiting immigration proceedings.
- Since people who entered without inspection weren’t formally admitted by authorities, we can’t count exactly how many arrive this way. Although Customs and Border Protection apprehension data is one measure of enforcement activity, it doesn’t count the number of people who entered without detection. Monthly apprehensions averaged 8,829 from February 2025 to March 2026. In December 2023, there were 251,178 in a single month.
- In fiscal year 2024, the Department of Homeland Security estimated that 1.15% of nonimmigrant visa holders (or 538,548 people, roughly the population of Sacramento, California) had stayed in the US past their visa’s expiration date.
- DACA protects people who were brought here as minors from deportation, but it is not a path to citizenship. In June 2025, there were 515,570 active DACA recipients. That number has gradually declined since May 2018, when it peaked at 702,250.
- If the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that a country is unsafe to return to, citizens of that country who are already in the US can apply for Temporary Protected Status. As of March 2025, nearly 1.3 million people in the US had this status.
America’s biggest trade partners, by the numbers
Global trade might sound sprawling, but for the US, it’s surprisingly concentrated. The US has trade relations with over 200 countries, but in 2024, 48% of all US trade was with just six of them.
- Mexico, Canada, and China were the nation’s top trading partners every year from 2004 to 2024, only moving ranks between each other. The same was true for the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan, which ranked fourth through sixth.
- In 2024, Mexico, Canada, and China accounted for 34.2% of total trade and $2.5 trillion in trade value.
- The US imported most goods and services from Mexico, Canada, China, Germany, and Japan in 2024, each valued at over $190 billion. Combined, these five countries accounted for 46% of US imports.
- The US exported the most goods and services to Europe ($998.0 billion) and the Asia and Pacific region ($875.5 billion). The countries that received the most US exports were Canada, Mexico, China, the United Kingdom, and Japan, each valued at $129 billion or more. These five countries accounted for 41% of exports.
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Data behind the news
Readers have been asking, “If the United States is a net exporter of oil, why are gas prices rising?” The answer: it’s priced globally and the cost is intertwined with social and economic events. This article from our archives has more information.
The Senate Banking Committee has scheduled a hearing for Kevin Warsh, President Trump’s pick for the next Federal Reserve chair, on April 21. Here are some questions we want Congress to ask.
It’s time again for a weekly fact quiz!
One last fact
The Consumer Price Index tracks two inflation measures: headline and core. Headline inflation tracks specific consumer spending subsets including food, housing, and energy. Core inflation tracks most of those categories, just minus food and energy because those categories tend to have volatile price swings.
While the headline inflation rate was 3.3% in March, the cost of fuel oil and other fuels increased by 22.9% compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, egg prices dropped 44.7%.
As for core inflation items, public transportation prices increased the most, 10.2%. Health insurance fell the most (-5.3%).
