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Illegal immigration to the U.S.has dropped precipitously according to a report by the Pew Hispanic Center:

The annual inflow of unauthorized immigrants to the U.S. was nearly two-thirds smaller in the March 2007 to March 2009 period than it had been from March 2000 to March 2005, according to new estimates by the Pew Hispanic Center. This decline contributed to an overall 8% reduction in the unauthorized immigrant population, which fell to 11.1 million in 2009 from 12 million in 2007. By region of origin, the population of unauthorized immigrants from Latin American countries other than Mexico has declined most markedly. By U.S. region, the decrease in the unauthorized immigrant population has been especially notable along the nation’s Southeast coast and in its Mountain West.

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Here is the take on the story at azcentral, contributed by the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON – The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. has dropped for the first time in 20 years as substantially fewer undocumented workers from Mexico, Latin America and elsewhere are crossing the border in search of jobs, an independent research group says.

The analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center suggests the nation’s economic downturn and increased border enforcement have reduced the number of illegal immigrants, who make up roughly 4 percent of the U.S. population.

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The Wall Street Journal reports the story:

Illegal immigration to the U.S. has slowed sharply since 2007, as the bleak U.S. job market has discouraged potential migrants from heading north.

The influx of illegal immigrants plunged to an estimated 300,000 annually between March 2007 and 2009, from 850,000 a year between March 2000 and March 2005, according to new study released Wednesday by the Pew Hispanic Center, a nonpartisan research group.

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The Arizona Daily Star shows that the drop in Arizona surpasses the national numbers:

PHOENIX – The number of illegal immigrants in Arizona is down – much more sharply than the rest of the country.

New figures from the Pew Hispanic Center estimate there were 375,000 people in this state last year who either entered the country illegally or overstayed their legal visas. That compares with Pew’s estimate 475,000 for 2008.

That 21 percent drop compares with a decline of just 4.3 percent nationwide.

The new figures released Wednesday are a sharp departure in the trends which Pew has been tracking since 1990: This is the first time the numbers have dropped..

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