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! State population: 4,725,000 (1998 CB est.) !
! Foreign-born population: 217,000 (1998 CPS) !
! Percent foreign born: 4.6% (1998) !
! Foreign-born stock: 501,000 (1997 CB est.) !
! Illegal alien population: 7,200 (1996 INS est.) !
! New legal immigrants: 61,150 (1991 to 1998) !
! 2025 pop. projection: 5,510,000 (1996 CB proj.) !
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1990 CENSUS DATA ON THE FOREIGN BORN
Minnesota's foreign-born population registered a modest increase between 1980 and 1990
(5.2%). However, the top five source nationalities (Canada, Germany, Sweden,
Korea, and the United Kingdom) registered declines. Countries that supplied growing numbers
of immigrants were Laos (+277%), Vietnam (+52%) and Mexico (+76%).
1980 Census 1990 Census 1 Canada 12,293 Laos 14,979 2 Germany 10,383 Canada 10,339 3 Sweden 6,131 Vietnam 7,772 4 Korea 5,996 Germany 7,693 5 U.K. 5,226 U.K. 4,646 6 Vietnam 5,126 Korea 4,025 7 Norway 5,087 Mexico 3,487 8 Sov.Un. 4,423 Thailand 3,397 9 Laos 3,969 Sov.Un. 3,115 10 Poland 2,604 India 2,918 All Others 46,236 All Others 50,668 Total 107,474 Total 113,039
In 1990, 44% of Minnesota's foreign-born population had arrived since 1980.
THE IMMIGRANT STOCK
There were about 501 thousand people in Minnesota in 1997 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 CPS DATA ON THE FOREIGN BORN
The 1988 estimate by the Census Bureau of Minnesota's population, based on the CPS, indicated
a rise of 39,870 (to 4,725,418). The increase resulting from net international migration (NIM)
was 8,763, and therefore constituted about one-fifth (22%) of the overall increase.
1997 CPS DATA ON THE FOREIGN BORN
About one-third of the state's foreign born were U.S. citizens in 1997.
NET INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
The Census Bureau estimates that Minnesota's population increased by 36,953 over the last
year (ending in July 1997). Compared to that overall increase, net international migration
accounted for an estimated increase of 5,713. Thus immigration accounted for nearly
16 percent of the state's population increase (that is about two-thirds the national median share of
population increase due to immigration).
CITY DATA - MINNEAPOLIS
METROPOLITAN AREA DATA - MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
POPULATION CHANGE 1900-2000
When considering the role of immigration in Minnesota's current and future population change,
it is helpful to have a clear perspective of the past population change that the state has
experienced. Over the past 50 years, the population of the state has increased more than one-
and-a-half times. Although immigration is the smallest component of recent population change,
it is still contributing to population expansion.
POPULATION PROJECTION
The 1997 Census Bureau population projection has Minnesota's population growing by 20%
between 1995 and 2025 (to 5,510,000). That is slightly below the national median rate of
increase.
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 Minnesota, the high projection could mean a population in 2050 of 6,800,000 to 7,400,000. 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
INS DATA ON IMMIGRANT SETTLEMENT
Immigrant settlement in Minnesota has risen since
the adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. Recent average settlement has been more than three-fold the level of the late 1960s.
Legal immigrant settlement in Minnesota since 1990 has averaged over 7,600 per year. The data for fiscal year (FY) 1991 were artificially raised 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 applying from Minnesota was 1,106. The data for FY'95, FY'97 and FY'98 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.
Detailed tables that provide INS data for legal immigrant settlement in Minnesota for fiscal years 1991-97 and connections for additional information on the new arrivals by nationality are available below:
FY LEGAL IMMIGRATION 91 7,461 by nationality 92 6,851 by nationality 93 7,438 by nationality 94 7,098 by nationality 95 8,111 by nationality 96 8,977 by nationality 97 8,233 by nationality 98 6,981 Total 61,150 by nationalityThe principal countries of immigration were Vietnam, the former Soviet Union and China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan). Their respective shares of the seven-year total are 10.9 percent, 8.7 percent, and 6.4 percent.
INS ESTIMATE OF ALIENS ELIGIBLE FOR CITIZENSHIP
The INS estimates that as of April 1996 there were about 77,000 legal resident aliens in
Minnesota -- legal immigrants who had not yet become U.S. citizens -- of whom
40,000 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:
INS DULUTH
208 FEDERAL BLDG
515 W. FIRST ST.
DULUTH, MN 55802
SOCIAL ISSUES
In Wilmar, about 95 miles west of the Twin Cities, immigrants are contributing to a rapidly
growing Hispanic population that is leading to public education problems.
(Source: Star Tribune, March 8, 1996 and Census data)
A disproportionate amount of the public subsidized housing in St. Paul is occupied by
immigrants.
According to a former mayor of St. Paul, 85 percent of that city's public housing is occupied by
immigrants.
(Source: Fresh Blood, by Sanford Ungar)
FOREIGN STUDENTS
The 1997/98 annual report of the Institute of International Education shows a 5.1% increase in
foreign students attending U.S. colleges and universities (481,280) over a year earlier.
Minnesota's Twin City campus in Minneapolis had the 18th largest number of foreign students in
the country, i.e., 2,651.
ENFORCEMENT AGAINST ILLEGAL WORKERS
The INS estimates that in October 1996 there were 7,200 illegal aliens resident in Minnesota.
This estimate is about 25% higher than the INS estimate of illegal workers in the state in October
1992. The Center for Immigration Studies, estimates the number of illegal alien residents in the
state to be as high as 25,000, based on the number of illegal aliens resident there when the
amnesty for illegal aliens was enacted in 1986.
**************************************** * INS - Investigations - Minnesota: * * Bloomington (612) 313-9040) * ****************************************
The surging illegal alien problem in Minnesota is described in the following terms by Curtis Aljets, the INS District Director:
"The number of illegal aliens in the state of Minnesota has increased substantially over a disconcertingly short period of time and this increase has the net effect of (1) keeping the wage rate below that considered by some to be a "living wage", (2) extensively burdening the state infrastructure (i.e., schools, medical care, law enforcement), and (3) contributing to unsafe working conditions."
The INS "...is prohibited by Court Order from conducting routine verifications of the status of aliens for entities such as employers, with the exception being those cases where an employer can indicate a reason for suspecting a document submitted by an alien worker to be counterfeit or fraudulent.
...Minnesota is the exception to most other states in the nation by opting to not participate in the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program; this leaves the state vulnerable to the use of counterfeit documents used by illegal aliens to obtain welfare benefits as well as employment.
Recently arrested aliens indicate during interview that they entered the United States destined for Minnesota for these economic reasons."
Aljets notes that a set of false documents "...can be purchased in the Minneapolis area for $50.00."
He also notes that "The number of aliens involved in criminal activities in our communities is increasing rapidly and contributes to the crowding of jails and prisons."
(Source: Aljets letter to Sen. Rod Grams of April 27, 1999)
In late July and August 1996, the INS and other agencies identified 243 illegal aliens working in
Minnesota. Nearly all of the aliens were from Mexico (97%) or Central America. The
enforcement effort was conducted in 13 central states, and Minnesota accounted for the third
highest number of work site apprehensions after Texas and New Mexico.
The largest-ever immigration raid in Minnesota led to the apprehension of 138 illegal alien
workers at a 400-employee nursery in Newport, Minnesota. Most of the unauthorized workers
used false documents to get their jobs.
INS officials say that illegal immigration has become so widespread in Minnesota that they
recently found illegal aliens working on cleaning crews cleaning the INS office in St. Paul.
In January, 23 Central and South Americans were apprehended by the INS in a raid at the
Cossetta's restaurant in St. Paul. In May, a Mexican alien smuggler was apprehended and
returned to Mexico despite the fact that he faced smuggling charges in U.S. District Court in
Minneapolis. Also in May, the INS checked for green cards at several Minneapolis parks and
found 26 illegal aliens playing volleyball. In all of fiscal year 1997 (ending September 30) the
St.Paul district INS office -- that has jurisdiction for Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota
-- apprehended a total of 1,626 illegal aliens, up from 405 in 1990.
As a result of a van breaking down in Lakeville on May 7, authorities arrested two Mexicans
who were smuggling 19 Ecuadorans to job sites in Minnesota and New York. A federal grand
jury handed down indictments for the two smugglers on June 3, and the Ecuadorans are awaiting
deportation. According to the INS, the number of illegal aliens being detained in Minnesota has
increased in the past two years.
On May 27 the INS raided several Minneapolis parks and apprehended 26 illegal aliens.
Twenty-five were removed from the country. Since then, a coalition of church and community
groups calling itself the Joint Committee on Immigration Campaign to Preserve Immigrant
Families has been demanding that the INS to limit its immigration law enforcement
activities.
The general manager of a Holiday Inn in downtown Minneapolis caused a furor when he called the INS on October 13, 1999 to report illegal aliens working on the staff.
The INS staged a raid and apprehended eight housekeepers.
The controversy arose from the fact that the action took place about a month and a half after the hotel workers had voted to form a union, and just before collective bargaining was to begin.
The manager said the call to the INS came because he had just learned that the workers were unauthorized and the hotel risked a fine for their employment.
OTHER - Regional Organization
STATE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTING RECORD
FAIR, 12/99.
(Source: INS News Release, September 5, 1996)
(Source: Star Tribune, December 31, 1997)
(Source: USAToday, January 9, 1998)
(Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 20, 1998)
(Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 4, 1998)
(Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune, July 17, 1998)
(Source: Migration News, November, 1999 and news accounts)
The Midwest Coalition to Reform Immigration (MCRI) includes activists in Minnesota. To
contact MCRI, write 2859 Central St. #154, Evanston IL 60201 or call (847) 733-1875. To
access their web site, click below:
You can now access the voting record of your representatives in Congress regarding immigration
issues with our scorecard page or go to
numbersusa.com for their
legislative scorecards. Just hit the back button to return to the FAIR Minnesota Page.
