About 8 percent of children born in the United States in 2008 — about 340,000 — were offspring of unauthorized immigrants, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center released on Wednesday.
The center said that unauthorized immigrants compose about 4 percent of the adult population, but because they are relatively young and have high birthrates, their children make up a much larger share of the newborn population and the child population (7 percent of those younger than age 18).
The center said it analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s March 2009 Current Population Survey.
The Pew Hispanic analysis found that 79 percent of the 5.1 million children of unauthorized immigrants were born in this country and are U.S. citizens.
