Number of Illegal Immigrants Hits 12M

The number of illegal immigrants in the United States has grown to as many as 12 million, and they now account for about one in every 20 workers, a new estimate says.

The report estimates that 850,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in United States each year since 2000.

There are about 7.2 million undocumented workers in the U.S., or about 5 percent of the country's work force, the Pew report said.

It estimated that illegal immigrants fill a quarter of all agricultural jobs, 17 percent of office and house cleaning positions, 14 percent of construction jobs and 12 percent in food preparation.

Camarota pointed to a recent government report showing that very few businesses are fined for hiring illegal immigrants. The government filed only three notices that it intended to fine companies in 2004, down from 417 notices in 1999, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office.

Camarota said there would be plenty of Americans willing to accept jobs done by illegal immigrants if they paid adequate wages and benefits.

Tuesday's report by the Pew Hispanic Center said Mexicans make up 56 percent of illegal immigrants. An additional 22 percent come from other Latin American countries, mainly in Central America. About 13 percent are from Asia, and Europe and Canada combine for 6 percent.

Anyone see a problem with this? Anyone at all? 850,000 illegal immigrants every year!!!! Thats almost a million more people with no jobs, no health care, nada. Who picks up the bill? Correct!!!!! US. Health insurance goes up, health cost goes up, strain on schools......UP.

Not to mention how any of these 850,000 could be terrorist....in fact they are....attacking our society, our health care system, welfare system, and our education system.