WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- There are fewer illegal immigrants in the United States than two years ago a non-partisan think tank in Washington said Thursday.
The Center for Immigration Studies estimates the number of illegal immigrants dropped nearly 14 percent in two years. The center said the number of new illegal immigrants may have fallen by one-third in the same period.
Fewer undocumented immigrants have been apprehended trying to cross the border, the report said.
The illegal immigrant population was estimated to be 12.5 million at its peak and 10.8 million now, The Hill reported.
"It is sometimes argued that illegal immigrants are so permanently attached to their lives in the United States that they would never return to their home countries," the CIS report said. "The findings of this report contradict this view."
The drop came before the economic downturn, and the CIS concluded increased enforcement led to the decrease.
