Pew: 14 Million Living in U.S. Without Permanent Status
Growth reflects rise of temporary protections, not just illegal border crossings.
WASHINGTON — The number of immigrants living in the United States without permanent legal status reached an estimated 14 million in 2023, according to a new report released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.
While the total is the highest on record in modern surveys, immigration researchers stress that the figure must be understood in context: it represents just 4.1% of the U.S. population, far below the proportion of newcomers who reshaped America during the great waves of European immigration in the early 20th century.
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Pew found that the increase — 3.5 million in just two years — was driven primarily by people who entered the U.S. legally but remain in precarious categories with temporary protection from deportation. These include asylum seekers, Afghans paroled after the U.S. withdrawal, and participants in humanitarian programs such as Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. In 2023, about 6 million immigrants without full legal status were living in the U.S. with some form of protection — more than 40% of the total.
That reality complicates the picture painted by the term “unauthorized immigrant.” Many in this group work legally, pay taxes, and raise U.S.-citizen children, yet live with the uncertainty that shifting federal policy can quickly strip away their protections. “Unauthorized” is a label of policy, not of humanity.
The report highlights that immigrants without permanent status are deeply embedded in American society. Roughly 7.5 million U.S. households — 1 in 18 — include an unauthorized immigrant. About three-quarters of children living with an unauthorized parent are U.S. citizens. And in the workforce, immigrants without permanent status accounted for 5.6% of all workers in 2023, filling essential roles in construction, farming, and service industries.
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Geographically, growth has spread far beyond traditional gateway states. While California and Texas still host the largest numbers, states from Florida to Ohio have seen sharp increases since 2021. That dispersal underscores how migration now touches nearly every corner of the country.Pew also notes that while the 2023 total is high in raw numbers, it is not unprecedented when compared with earlier eras. During the early 1900s, immigrants — largely from Europe — made up nearly 15% of the U.S. population, a far greater share than today.
The new estimates come amid a volatile policy environment. The population likely dipped in 2025 after the Trump administration curtailed asylum and parole programs and ramped up deportations. Still, researchers caution that immigration patterns have historically risen and fallen in response to both global crises and shifting U.S. policy.
What remains constant, the report suggests, is immigrants’ role in building the nation. Even without permanent status, millions of people continue to work, worship, and raise families in communities across the country — carrying forward a story that echoes America’s past while shaping its future.
Dig into the Pew Research tables by state here:
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