Who and Where are Undocumented Immigrants in the US?

Donald Trump has trumpeted a truly idiotic immigration reform, as others, including Greg Weeks, have pointed out. It is basically a two-parter: deport all "illegals" and then build an impenetrable wall, and send the bill for the wall to Mexico. There are a guzillion problems with this idea, but two are particularly important: (1) the border is already well defended and, as Doug Massey pointed out in an Op-Ed in Foreign Policy, the wall mainly serves to keep people in the US once here; and (2) Mexico is no longer the sender of immigrants that it once was. I reminded you of this recently, but it is also well documented in a report just out from the Migration Policy Institute. Drawing on data from the American Community Survey and the Survey of Income and Program Participation, they show both the range of places from which undocumented migrants come, and the changes in origin that have taken place over time. This is a complex picture, which is one of many reasons that immigration reform is so difficult and controversial. 

Along with the report is a very nice interactive map that allows you to see the number and origin of undocumented immigrants in each state and major county in the U.S. Check it out: