WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- More than one-third of undocumented adult immigrants have been in the United States for at least 15 years, a report said Thursday.
The survey by the Pew Hispanic Center found 46 percent of immigrants in the country illegally have minor children, a higher percentage than among legal immigrants or U.S.-born adults. Adult undocumented immigrants also tend to be younger than the other groups.
About 11.2 million people are believed to be living illegally in the United States, making them about 28 percent of the foreign-born population and 3.7 percent of the entire population.
Pew said fewer have been arriving in recent years and the percentage that has been in the country for more than 15 years has doubled since 2000 to 35 percent. Almost two-thirds have been in the United States for at least a decade, and only 15 percent for less than five years.
About 9 million people live in "mixed-status families" in which at least one adult is in the United States illegally and at least one child is a U.S. citizen born in the country.
