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! State population: 744,000 (1998 CB est.) !
! Foreign-born population: 28,000 (1998 CPS) !
! Percent foreign born: 3.8% (1998) !
! Foreign-born stock: 95,000 (1997 CB est.) !
! Illegal alien population: 2,500 (1996 INS est.) !
! New legal immigrants: 8,663 (1991 to 1997) !
! 2025 pop. projection: 861,000 (1996 CB proj.) !
!________________________________________________________!
CENSUS DATA ON THE FOREIGN BORN
In 1990, about one-third of the state's immigrant population had arrived since 1980. For the
nation as a whole, the recent immigrant share was 42.5%. Although Delaware's immigrant
population is not changing as fast as elsewhere in the country, nevertheless, it is undergoing
significant changes. Of the ten largest immigrant national groups in 1980, four were not in the
top ten in 1990. They were from Poland, the Soviet Union, Greece and Ireland. They were
replaced by Mexico, Korea, Jamaica and China.
Delaware's foreign-born population grew by about 3,000 from the 1980 Census, or about 16%. This was much less than the nationwide 40% growth in the foreign-born population over the decade of the 1980s.
The top ten nationalities with their change since 1980 is as follow: U.K. (-4%), Germany (-11%), India (+78%), Italy (-37%), Canada (-1%), Mexico (+500%), Korea (+144%), Jamaica (+92%), Philippines (+46%), China (+94%).
1980 Census 1990 Census 1 U.K. 2,093 U.K. 2,003 2 Italy 1,845 Germany 1,628 3 Germany 1,823 India 1,302 4 Canada 1,008 Italy 1,161 5 Poland 872 Canada 996 6 Sov.Un. 754 Mexico 883 7 India 731 Korea 878 8 Philip. 566 Jamaica 842 9 Greece 555 Philip. 826 10 Ireland 455 China 756 All Others 8,127 All Others 11,000 Total 18,829 Total 22,275
THE IMMIGRANT STOCK
There are about 95 thousand people in Delaware who may be considered "immgrant stock."
The immigrant stock is a term that refers to first generation immigrants, the "1.5 generation"
(children of immigrants who are born abroad), and the second generation (the native-born Americans whose parents immigrated).
1998 CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS) DATA
Based on 1998 CPS data, the Census Bureau estimates the state's population has increased by
about 12,000 over the year. CPS data analyzed by the Center for Immigration Studies suggests
that the state's immigrant population dropped over the year, reducing the foreign-born share to
3.8 percent.
[FAIR Commernt: We think it unlikely -- given the high number of new legal and illegal
immigrants settling in Colorado -- that the immigrant population actually dropped, but it is
possible if a still larger number left the state or died. However, we are more inclined to attribute
this apparent abberation to sampling error.]
The Census Bureau estimates that, since the 1990 Census, the state's population has increased by over 8,000 from the influx of immigrants and by 29,000 from net domestic migration.
1997 CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS) DATA
Over two-thirds of the new immigrants since 1990 were located in New Castle County (the
Wilmington-Newark metropolitan area).
With well over half of Delaware's foreign born having become naturalized U.S. citizens, Delaware's rate is much higher than the national average of 35 percent. This is consonant with an older, established immigrant community.
POPULATION CHANGE 1900-2000
It helps to have a clear perspective of the past population change that the state has experienced
when considering the role of immigration in Delaware's current and future population change.
Over the past 50 years, the population of the state has increased more than two-fold. As
much of recent population growth has come from net international and inter-state migration as
from birth rates, to which immigrants also contribute.
POPULATION PROJECTION
The 1997 Census Bureau population projection has Delaware's population growing by 20%
between 1995 and 2025 (to 861,000). That is a lower rate than the national median.
The Census Bureau population projection noted above is the "middle" projection, and it assumes immigration at a net annual increase of 820,000. There are other projections based on different assumptions. In the Census Bureau's "high" immigration projection, assuming annual net immigration of 1,370,000, the population in 2025 is more than six percent higher than in the middle projection, and it is over 11 percent higher by 2050. For Delaware, the high projection could mean a population in 2050 of 1,050,000 to 1,150,000. If immigration were significantly scaled back, the population increase attributable to immigration and the population spill-over effects from other states could be significantly reduced over time. See Immigration and Population Growth
NET INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
The Census Bureau estimates that Delaware's population increased by 8,106 over the last
year (ending in July 1997). Compared to that overall increase, net international migration
accounted for an estimated increase of 1,208. Thus immigration accounted for about 15
percent of the state's population increase (that is about three-fifths of the national median share of
population increase due to immigration).
METROPOLITAN AREA DATA
In the Wilmington-Newark metropolitan area, which coincides with much of New Castle County,
the foreign born number more than 18,000, and another nearly 3,000 live in the Dover
metropolitan area. The state's 3.3% foreign-born share of its population is below the 7.9%
average for the nation. In the Wilmington-Newark metropolitan area, the share is only slightly
higher, at 3.6%.
INS DATA ON IMMIGRANT SETTLEMENT
New legal immigration to Delaware from FY'91 through FY'97 averaged about 1,240 per
year. This ranks Delaware higher than seven other states in terms of the number of new
immigrants, and 25th in the country for the number of new immigrants it receives on a per capita
basis. The data for fiscal year (FY) 1991 was elevated by the
inclusion of some of the former illegal aliens who were amnestied in 1986.
Just among the long-term resident amnesty applicants (excluding the amnestied agricultural workers), the number of applicants from Delaware was 275.
The data for FY'95, and
FY'97 were artificially low because the INS was not able to issue green cards to all the
applicants for adjustment of status who were already in the United States. In those three years,
new immigration could have registered as much as 30 percent higher, if the INS had issued more
visas. INS DATA BY NATIONALITY: FY'91 - FY'97
The nationalities may change each year, so the totals in some cases will not reflect all the
immigrants of that nationality who have become legal immigrants in Delaware during the seven-year
period. For example, data on Japanese and Nigerians are included for only three of the seven
years. The 27 nationalities (Hong Kong and Taiwan included with mainland Chinese, and Russia
and Ukraine included with Soviet Union) represent over 79 percent of all immigrant
settlement and adjustment in Delaware during this seven-year period.
Local Office: INS DOVER
ILLEGAL RESIDENT ALIENS
Scam "artists" are preying on illegal alien workers from Guatemala in Georgetown, Delaware.
The aliens (referred to as "without work papers") have been attracted by job opportunities in the
Perdue chicken processing plant (one of 5 in the Delmarva Peninsula). In Georgetown, the 4,300
residents in the 1990 Census have now burgeoned by an estimated 4,000 Guatemalan migrants.
Local academics estimate there may be as many as 20,000 Hispanic migrants living in southern
Delaware.
Sea Watch International, a clam processing plant in Milford, has an arrangement with the INS
called the Employment Verification Program that allows INS to verify the work eligibility of
new hires. This program led to the detention of nine illegal alien workers from Mexico and
Guatemala on August 26. The last time that illegal aliens (three of them) were found working for
Sea Watch was in 1990. This recent action demonstrates the successful use of the pilot program
that will be coming up for consideration of its adoption as a national program by Congress in
2000.
STATE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTING RECORD
FAIR, 12/99.
Immigrant settlement in Delaware has risen since
the adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. The average settlement recently is more than double what it was in the late 1960s.
FY LEGAL IMMIGRATION
91 1,937 by nationality
92 1,034 by nationality
93 1,132 by nationality
94 984 by nationality
95 1,051 by nationality
96 1,377 by nationality
97 1,148 by nationality
Total 8,663 by nationality (below)
The INS data below are furnished for nationals of the countries with the largest number of
immigrants admitted or adjusted to legal residence each year since 1990. The absence of data
means that the total number of admissions to the United States by nationals of that country were
not enough to merit detailed reporting in that year.Canada 256
China * 820
Colombia 72
Cuba 24
Dominican R. 82
Ecuador + 30
El Salvador 49
Germany + 84
Guatemala 80
Guyana 68
Haiti 403
India 741
Iran 93
Ireland ++ 92
Jamaica 381
Japan +++ 28
Korea 736
Mexico 1,210
Nigeria +++ 83
Pakistan 193
Peru 56
Philippines 389
Poland 103
Soviet Union 277
United K. 342
Vietnam 159
Other 1,812
Total 8,663
* Includes Hong Kong and Taiwan when available
+ 5 yrs. of data available
++ 4 yrs. of data available
+++ 3 yrs. of data available
In 1990, 56 percent of Delaware's foreign-born residents identified themselves as naturalized U.S. citizens.
The INS estimates that as of April 1996 there were about 10,000 legal resident aliens in the
Delaware -- legal immigrants who had not yet become U.S. citizens -- of whom
4,700 had met the residency requirement to apply for citizenship. Included in this number
could be aliens who had already applied for naturalization and were in the processing waiting
list. The INS offices that handle naturalization cases and fingerprinting are located
at:
SUITE 108
801 ARCH ST
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19107
1305 MCD DRIVE
DOVER, DE 19901
The INS estimates the resident illegal alien population of Delaware at 2,500 in October,
1996. That is an increase by one-quarter over the earlier estimate of 2,000 in October 1992. ****************************************
* INS - Investigations - Delaware: *
* Philadelphia (215) 656-7135 *
****************************************
(Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, May 29, 1998)
(Source: Delaware Independent Newspapers - Milford, August 27, 1998)
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