Group: 8.3% of Arizonans are illegal immigrants
by Betty Beard
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 7, 2008 12:00 AM
Arizona had a higher share of illegal immigrants than any other state, says a report from the Public Policy Institute of California.
The institute estimates that in 2006, 8.3 percent of Arizona's population consisted of illegal migrants, followed by California with 7.8 percent; Texas, 7.1 percent; and Florida, 5.5 percent.
About 3.9 percent of the country's population, or 11.5 million people, were illegal immigrants, the group estimates.
California had the highest number of illegal immigrants, with 2.8 million, while Arizona had an estimated 500,000.
But the number in Arizona may be dwindling because of the state's employer-sanction law, says the Arizona Blue Chip Economic Forecast, which reported the numbers.
