THE INVASION OF AMERICA - Central American Population Explodes - Poverty and Welfare use are double of Legals

Central American Population Up 28-Fold Since 1970 Poverty and welfare use are double those of the U.S.-born

Washington, D.C. (November 1, 2018) – A new analysis by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that the number of Central American immigrants in the U.S. has grown six times faster than the overall immigrant population. The Center's analysis of the lastest Census Bureau data, which includes both legal and illegal immigrants, also shows that immigrants from the region (comprising Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama) have low average incomes, and thus struggle with high rates of poverty and welfare use. Their poverty and welfare use are due to a low average level of education, which has declined dramatically relative to natives even as their numbers have soared. Steven Camarota, the Center's director of research and co-author of the analysis, stated, "The number of immigrants from Central America has grown enormously – from 118,000 in 1970 to nearly 3.3 million in 2018. Because most of these immigrants have little education, many live in or near poverty and use the welfare system, even while working, at great cost to the American taxpayer. It is simply not possible to allow in large numbers of less-educated immigrants – from any part of the world, whether legal or illegal – without adding enormously to poverty in America and imposing a significant burden on public budgets. " View the complete analysis at https://cis.org/Report/Central-American-Population-Increased-Nearly-28Fold-1970 Among the findings: The number of immigrants from Central America (legal and illegal) has grown 28-fold since 1970, from 118,000 to nearly 3.3 million in 2018 — six times faster than the overall immigrant population. In 2018, 87 percent of Central American immigrants came from three countries — El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. El Salvador is the largest sending country from the region, with 1.4 million immigrants in the United States, a 112-fold increase since 1970. Guatemala is second with 815,000, followed by Honduras with 623,000.  Based on prior estimates by the Department of Homeland Security, slightly more than half of El Salvadorans are in the country illegally, as are about two-thirds of Guatemalans and Hondurans. A large share of Central Americans struggle in the United States, but it is not because they are unwilling to work. In fact, 76 percent of working-age immigrants from the region had a job in the first part of 2018, compared to 73 percent of the native-born. The primary reason so many Central Americans are poor and access welfare is that, as their population has grown in the United States, their education level relative to natives has declined dramatically:  In 1970, 49 percent of Central Americans had not completed high school, compared to 42 percent of natives — a seven percentage-point gap. In 2018, 47 percent of Central Americans had not completed high school, compared to 6 percent of natives — a 41 percentage-point gap. In 1970, 4 percent of Central Americans had at least a bachelor's degree, compared to 5 percent of natives — a one percentage-point gap. In 2018, 10 percent of Central Americans had at least a bachelor's degree, compared to 38 percent of natives — a 28 percentage-point gap. Because such a large share of Central Americans have modest levels of education, the share of immigrants and their young children from the region who live in poverty is twice that of natives — 22 percent vs. 11 percent. Perhaps most troubling, 31 percent of the children (under age 18) of Central Americans live in poverty, roughly double the 16 percent rate for the children of natives. Also, 66 percent of the young children of Central Americans live in or near poverty.  On average, Central Americans make only 61 percent as much as the average native-born American. Even Central Americans who have lived in the country for more than 10 years still only have 65 percent of the average income of the native-born. Given the large share of Central Americans with low incomes, it is not surprising that so many access the welfare system. In 2018, 56 percent of households headed by Central American immigrants used one or more major welfare programs, more than double the 26 percent of native households. The welfare figures for 2018 come from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which understates welfare use, particularly among immigrants. So the actual welfare use rates are even higher than those reported here.