Much of the talk surrounding immigration reform focuses on the Hispanic population.
Of the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the country, an estimated 58% of them are from Mexico, and another 23% are from other Latin American countries. Asians account for 11% of the undocumented population.
Overall however, the numbers are quite different. Asian Americans are the fastest-growing immigrant population in the U.S. today, growing 46% over the past decade.
According to an infographic from the Center for American Progress:
According to the 2011 census, nearly half of all foreign-born individuals in the country are of Asian descent, at 18.2 million. Just like the Latino population, Asians voted overwhelmingly to re-elect President Barack Obama in last year’s election, with 73% voting Democrat. This was even more than the 71% of Hispanic voters that went with Obama.
Family sponsorship is how most of the Asian population makes it to the United States. The current immigration reform bill we have on the table could potentially threaten that by removing the visa allocation for siblings of U.S. citizens.
It’s important that we don’t lose sight of the details. Immigration reform has to be about keeping families together as well as making sure that the world’s best and brightest have a chance to fulfill their dreams here in America.
