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! State population: 1,747,000 (1998 CB est.) !
! Foreign-born population: 196,000 (1998 CPS) !
! Percent foreign born: 11.2% (1998) !
! Foreign-born stock: 395,000 (1997 CB est.) !
! Illegal alien population: 24,000 (1996 INS est.) !
! New legal immigrants: 46,479 (1991 to 1998) !
! 2025 pop. projection: 2,312,000 (1996 CB proj.) !
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CENSUS DATA ON THE FOREIGN BORN
Between the 1980 and 1990 Censuses, the population of Nevada grew by 48.9 percent. The
state's foreign-born population grew by 94.9 percent during that same period and accounted for
12.9% of the state's overall population growth.
Persons born in Mexico accounted for 31% of the state's 1990 foreign born. That nationality group had nearly quadrupled from the 1980 Census. The 2nd largest nationality group -- the Philippines -- had grown by over three times its size in the 1980 Census.
1980 Census 1990 Census 1 Mexico 8,421 Mexico 32,501 2 Canada 4,802 Philip. 8,495 3 U.K. 3,790 Canada 6,583 4 Germany 3,599 U.K. 4,700 5 Cuba 2,713 Cuba 4,430 6 Philip. 2,674 Germany 4,421 7 Korea 2,030 Korea 3,207 8 Italy 1,924 El Sal. 2,978 9 Japan 1,435 Vietnam 2,477 10 Vietnam 1,182 China 1,769 All Others 21,214 All Others 33,267 Total 53,784 Total 104,828
The Las Vegas metropolitan area, of which Clark County is the largest part, had a foreign born population in 1990 of about 74,000. The share of its population that was foreign born was 8.7%. The Reno metropolitan area had a higher foreign-born population share (9.2%) with about 23,400 immigrants.
THE IMMIGRANT STOCK
There were about 395 thousand people in Nevada 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
In the most recent Census Bureau estimate, Nevada's overall population increased by about
70,000. The 1998 CPS data, analyzed by the Center for Immigration Studies, showed
the immigrant population increased by 14,000. As a result of these two trends, the share of the
state's population comprised of immigrants rose slightly to 11.2 percent (the 9th highest rate in
the country).
The Census Bureau calculates that since the 1990 Census the state's population has increased by
over 45,369 because of immigration, about half of the amount of increase from the natural rate of
births less deaths, but much smaller than the net domestic increase of just under 400,000.
1997 CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY (CPS) DATA
Among Nevada's foreign born, less than one-in-three (28.5%) were naturalized U.S. citizens.
About 65 percent of the new immigrants located in Clark County (Las Vegas) and another 25
percent located in Washoe County (Reno).
NET INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
The Census Bureau estimates that Nevada's population increased by 75,999 over the last
year (ending in July 1997). Compared to that overall increase, net international migration
accounted for an estimated increase of 5,855. Thus immigration accounted for nearly eight
percent of the state's population increase (that is about one-third of the national median share of
population increase due to immigration).
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 Nevada's current and future population change.
Over the past 50 years, the population of the state has experienced phenomenal increase, i.e.,
nearly eleven-fold from 1940-90. While most of the recent population increase has come from
migration into the state, from net international migration has contibuted about a third as much as
the natural rate (births-deaths) to which immigrants also contribute.
POPULATION PROJECTION
The 1997 Census Bureau population projection has Nevada's population growing by 51%
between 1995 and 2025 (to 2,312,000). That is the 5th fastest projected rate of growth in the
country.
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 Nevada, the high immigration projection could mean a population in 2050 of as many as 4,200,000 people. If today's mass 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
METROPOLITAN AREA DATA -- RENO
INS DATA ON IMMIGRANT SETTLEMENT
Immigrant settlement in Nevada has risen since
the adoption of the current immigration system in 1965. Recent average settlement has been about
ten times higher than the level of the late 1960s -- making Nevada one of the states most affected by the country's current mass immigration.
Legal immigrant settlement in Nevada since 1990 has averaged over 5,800 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 Nevada was 10,287.
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.
FY LEGAL IMMIGRATION 91 10,470 by nationality 92 5,086 by nationality 93 4,045 by nationality 94 4,051 by nationality 95 4,306 by nationality 96 5,874 by nationality 97 6,541 by nationality 98 6,106 Total 46,479 by nationalityILLEGAL RESIDENT ALIENS
**************************************** * INS - Investigations - Nevada: * * Las Vegas (702) 388-6414 * ****************************************
In Reno, Nevada, the INS reported that 121 employees of the Atlantis hotel-casino had provided false documents to illegal alien employees. The maximum penalty on illegal workers for using false documents to obtain employment is $250,000 in fines and five years in prison. The Atlantis was not fined. (Source: Migration News, August, 1998)
In mid-August, 1988, a police action in Las Vegas in response to complaints about under-age
drinking at a Hispanic bar (El Portrero) led to the INS being called in and about 100 illegal aliens
being detained and then bussed back to Mexico. The incident became a political football when
Hispanics organized a protest demonstration against the police and INS claiming that the action
was anti-Hispanic. At a candidate forum hosted by the Latina Women's Political Caucus, the
demonstrators disrupted efforts to get the candidates to discuss public policy issues such as
bilingual education in the schools. The organizer, Pricilla Rocha said "...Metro had every right to
investigate." Humberto Pena, the local El Heraldo newspaper editor said "I think they're
being manipulated." But activists like Maria Lopez said "They're not telling people the
consequences of leaving the country...they're not giving them a chance to consult an
attorney."
(Las Vegas Review-Journal, August 19, 1998)
The booming Las Vegas Casino sector is attracting large numbers of Latino immigrants to the city.
Despite a required police background check for new hires, that bars most illegal aliens seeking casino jobs,
the city, nevertheless, is attracting large numbers of illegal aliens working in hotels and other jobs not requiring advanced education or skill levels and paying low wages.
The presence of a large number of illegal aliens is attested to by the spread of money transfer and check cashing operations and the growth of immigration consultant services.
STATE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION VOTING RECORD
FAIR, 12/99.
(Source: Las Angeles Times, November 30, 1999)
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 Nevada Page.
