The illegal-alien population in the United States hit the lowest level in more than a decade, according to the latest government statistics.
A report by Pew Research said there were 10.7 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. in 2016, down from a peak of 12.2 million in 2007.
"The total is the lowest since 2004. It is tied to a decline of 1.5 million people in the number of Mexican unauthorized immigrants from 2007 to 2016," the report said. "Nevertheless, Mexico remains the country of origin for 5.4 million unauthorized immigrants, or roughly half of the U.S. total."
The report said the southern border "remains a pathway for entry by growing numbers of unauthorized immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras."
"Because of them, Central America was the only birth region accounting for more U.S. unauthorized immigrants in 2016 than in 2007," Pew said.
"Increasingly, unauthorized immigrants are likely to be long-term U.S. residents: Two-thirds of adult unauthorized immigrants have lived in the country for more than 10 years," Pew said. "As their typical span of U.S. residence has grown, a rising share of unauthorized immigrant adults – 43 percent in 2016 compared with 32 percent in 2007 – live in households with U.S.-born children.
"The number of unauthorized immigrants from Central America increased by 375,000 over the same 2007 to 2016 period. The 1.85 million Central American unauthorized immigrants in 2016 mainly came from the three Northern Triangle nations of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, all of which registered increases since 2007," the report said.
Illegal aliens from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Korea and Peru declined over the time period while the number from India and Venezuela grew.
The illegal alien population dropped 13 percent over that time.
"Pew Research Center's estimate of the U.S. unauthorized immigrant population includes more than a million people who have temporary permission to stay and work in the U.S. under two programs that could be rescinded, potentially exposing them to deportation."
Nearly 700,000 young adults were being protected by the court-enforced Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals created by Obama without the help of Congress.
And another 317,000 are benefiting from Temporary Protected Status.
"Just as with the population overall, the number of adult unauthorized immigrants in the workforce –7.8 million – was lower in 2016 than a decade earlier. Their share of the workforce (4.8 percent) also declined from 2007," the report said.
That decline is linked mainly to the decline in the overall illegal immigrant population.