In absolute numbers, the United States has the largest immigrant population among all countries in the world. The number of immigrants living in the United States – legally or illegally – reached 46.6 million in January 2022. This number results from an analysis conducted by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) based on data from a monthly survey of the country’s official census.
The number of immigrants in the U.S. varies over time. At the beginning of the pandemic, for example, in 2020, there were about 44 million, breaking a progressive growth trend that had persisted until then.
According to data presented in the second half of 2021, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas noted in a memorandum that there are approximately 11 million undocumented individuals in the United States. In the same year, 2,033,863 immigrants attempting to enter the United States were detained at the Mexico border. There were 178,840 detentions in December alone, according to data released by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on January 24, 2022.
Of the total immigrants detained last year, 1.25 million were single adults, over 600,000 arrived with a family member, and 170,000 were unaccompanied minors.
Regarding Brazilians living in the United States, this number has increased over the years, as shown by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs data. In 2016, 1.5 million Brazilians were living in North America. In 2018, it was 1.6 million; by 2020, it had increased to 1.8 million.
According to information reported on the G1 portal (Globo), between January and February 2022, 1,582 Brazilians were deported from the United States. Many of them claimed to have suffered mistreatment in the United States and were forced to travel for more than eight hours in handcuffs.
These immigrants seek an opportunity to change their lives and achieve the coveted “American dream,” but for many, this has become a “nightmare,” as they resort to dangerous paths that make the situation of those in immigrant status within the United States not only challenging but often completely unfeasible.
At No Borders Foundation, we believe in a world without borders, where everyone can have access to a dignified life and equally strive for the realization of their dreams, providing the necessary means to do so legitimately by the law. Our challenge is to provide everyone, without distinction, with tools that enable and empower them to take the right steps toward their achievements.