US illegal immigrant population report [Pew Hispanic Center] News
US illegal immigrant population report [Pew Hispanic Center]

Estimates of the Size and Characteristics of the Undocumented Population, Pew Hispanic Center, Jeffrey S. Passel, March 21, 2005 [documenting recent massive growth of the illegal immigrant population in the United States – a 23 percent increase was reported in the population of undocumented residents over the past four years, from 8.4 to 10.3 million people]. Excerpt:

As of March 2004, there were an estimated 10.3 million unauthorized migrants living in the United States. A comparison to past estimates derived with the same methodology shows that the undocumented population has grown rapidly in recent years. There were 8.4 million unauthorized migrants living in the United States in April 2000 according to estimates derived from Census 2000 (Passel, Van Hook, and Bean 2004). Thus, average annual growth over the 4-year period since 2000 was about 485,000 per year. Assuming this rate of growth held steady, the best estimate for March 2005 points to a figure of somewhat less than 11 million for the number of undocumented residents.

Read the full text of the report here [PDF]. Reported in JURIST's Paper Chase here.

THIS DAY @ LAW

US judge upheld wartime detention of Japanese-Americans

On September 1, 1942, a federal judge in Sacramento, California, US, upheld the wartime detention of Japanese-Americans and Japanese nationals during World War II. Learn more about Japanese-American internment.

ANZUS Treaty signed

On September 1, 1951, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States signed ANZUS, a mutual defense accord similar to NATO in Europe. The alliance between the US and New Zealand, however, has been suspended since 1985, after the institution of New Zealand's nuclear-free zone prohibited US nuclear warships from entering New Zealand's ports.