International Migration to the United States

International migrants are defined by the United Nations as persons outside their country of birth a year or more. About 3% of the world's residents are international migrants, and their number is rising because of persistent demographic and economic inequalities in a globalizing world. The United States has about 40 million international migrants, 20% of the world's total; this entry reviews the socioeconomic impact of this international migration and U.S. government policy responses to it.

Overview

The United Nations estimated that 214 million people were international migrants in 2010, meaning that 3.1% of the world's 7 billion people were living outside their country of birth. Most people move from poorer to richer places, which is why 60% of the world's migrants were in the 30 more-developed ...

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