Vermont has the second-lowest population of any state in the nation. Estimates indicate the Green Mountain State is also among the U.S. states least affected by illegal immigration.
Estimating illegal immigration is difficult,
according to the Center for Immigration Studies. Still, the Pew Research Center, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federation for American Immigration Reform are among entities that do that.
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The U.S. Census Bureau said Vermont’s 2010 population was determined to be 625,741, ranking it 49th among the 50 states. The Pew Research Center estimated illegal immigrants in 2010 made up 10,000 of Vermont’s population, or about 1.6 percent,
according to Slate. The Green Mountain State finished in a tie with Maine, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia and Wyoming as the states with the lowest 2010 undocumented immigrant estimates, each with 10,000.
The Pew Research Center listed undocumented immigrant populations as being not available for those same seven states — but no others — when in December 2014 it released estimates for 2012 of the number of illegal immigrants living in each state. The release indicated an estimated 11.2 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the U.S that year — down from a peak of 12.2 million in 2007 and unchanged since 2009.
Homeland Security estimated the nationwide illegal immigrant population in 2012 at 11.43 million, down from 11.59 million in 2010. Homeland Security estimates are available for only the 10 states thought to have the largest illegal immigration populations,
according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Vermont appears unlikely to have a place in the top 10 anytime soon.
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FAIR estimated Vermont’s illegal alien population for 2010 at 5,000. FAIR projected the Green Mountain State’s illegal immigrant population would rise by 2050 to 597,000.