Episode 57: As Republican governors ramp up their high-profile transports of migrants to Democratic-run jurisdictions, The Associated Press reports that the practice is getting a mixed reaction from Christian faith leaders — many of whom, especially evangelicals, have supported GOP candidates by large numbers in recent elections.
Hosts Rick Kyte and Scott Rada debate the causes of the crisis at the border and what can be done to help fix this long-term problem.
Links to stories discussed during the podcast:
The Martha’s Vineyard migrant stunt Is making one truth about this country clear, by Farah Stockman, The New York Times
The border crisis could still be Biden’s opportunity, by Bret Stephens, The New York Times
About the hosts: Scott Rada is social media manager with Lee Enterprises, and Richard Kyte is the director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Cities with the largest immigrant populations
Cities With the Largest Immigrant Populations
Updated
Photo Credit: spyarm / Shutterstock
With a foreign-born population of more than 44 million, the U.S. has the largest number of immigrants in the world. In fact, research from the Pew Research Center shows that the U.S. immigrant population accounts for one-fifth of the world’s migrants. While U.S. immigrants come from almost every country in the world, Mexico is the most common country of origin for the foreign-born population.
From the period of 1850 to 2020, when the most recent data is available, the foreign-born population share hit a high of 14.8% in 1900. From 1920 to 1980, the share of immigrants fell, dropping to a low of 4.7% in 1980. Until recently, the immigrant share of the population had been climbing and was at a near historic high in 2019 before the pandemic. The share of immigrants dropped slightly in 2020 to 13.5%, down from the 13.7% it had stood at for the last several years.
The US foreign born population share was at a near historic high before the pandemic
Updated
Accounting for 24.8% of the foreign-born population, Mexico claims the largest number of U.S. immigrants. The Chinese and Indian immigrant populations are also large, making up a collective 12.2% of the foreign-born population. Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data shows that about one million immigrants arrive in the U.S. each year, and the most common region for new immigrants is now Asia, which recently surpassed Hispanic countries.
Mexican immigrants account for nearly 25 percent of the foreign born population
Updated
While immigrants live in every U.S. state, some parts of the country have larger foreign-born populations than others. Over one-fourth of California’s population is foreign-born—mostly coming from Mexico—making California the top state for immigrants. New Jersey and New York also have large immigrant populations, with 22.7% and 22.4% of their populations being immigrants, respectively. Alternatively, Montana and West Virginia have very small immigrant populations, accounting for just 2.2% and 1.6% of their populations, respectively.
More than a quarter of the California population is foreign born
Updated
To determine the U.S. metropolitan areas with the largest immigrant populations, researchers at BackgroundChecks.org analyzed the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The researchers ranked metros according to the foreign-born population share. Researchers also calculated the most common country of origin, the total foreign-born population, and the total population.
To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 people were included in the analysis. Additionally, metro areas were grouped into the following cohorts based on population size:Â
- Small metros: 100,000–349,999
- Midsize metros: 350,000–999,999
- Large metros: more than 1,000,000
Here are the metros with the largest immigrant populations.
Small and midsize metros with the most immigrants
Updated
15. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
Updated
Photo Credit: Andriy Blokhin / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 18.5%
- Most common country of origin: Mexico
- Total foreign-born population: 432,837
- Total population: 2,338,866
14. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
Updated
Photo Credit: f11photo / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 18.5%
- Most common country of origin: Mexico
- Total foreign-born population: 1,376,117
- Total population: 7,451,858
13. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Updated
Photo Credit: Songquan Deng / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 18.8%
- Most common country of origin: Colombia
- Total foreign-born population: 481,158
- Total population: 2,560,260
12. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Updated
Photo Credit: Travellaggio / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 18.9%
- Most common country of origin: China
- Total foreign-born population: 918,197
- Total population: 4,854,808
11. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
Updated
Photo Credit: mahaloshine / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 19.2%
- Most common country of origin: Mexico
- Total foreign-born population: 754,455
- Total population: 3,928,498
10. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
Updated
Photo Credit: Jon Bilous / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 21.1%
- Most common country of origin: Mexico
- Total foreign-born population: 970,476
- Total population: 4,600,396
9. Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV
Updated
Photo Credit: Virrage Images / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 22.1%
- Most common country of origin: Mexico
- Total foreign-born population: 492,617
- Total population: 2,228,866
8. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
Updated
Photo Credit: ESB Professional / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 22.8%
- Most common country of origin: El Salvador
- Total foreign-born population: 1,425,904
- Total population: 6,250,309
7. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Updated
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 22.9%
- Most common country of origin: Mexico
- Total foreign-born population: 762,260
- Total population: 3,323,970
6. Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Updated
Photo Credit: Tomas Simkus / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 23.3%
- Most common country of origin: Mexico
- Total foreign-born population: 1,623,239
- Total population: 6,979,613
5. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA
Updated
Photo Credit: Lukas Uher / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 29.3%
- Most common country of origin: Dominican Republic
- Total foreign-born population: 5,652,129
- Total population: 19,261,570
4. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA
Updated
Photo Credit: yhelfman / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 30.7%
- Most common country of origin: China
- Total foreign-born population: 1,443,907
- Total population: 4,709,220
3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Updated
Photo Credit: Sean Pavone / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 32.7%
- Most common country of origin: Mexico
- Total foreign-born population: 4,325,660
- Total population: 13,211,027
2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA
Updated
Photo Credit: thetahoeguy / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 39.1%
- Most common country of origin: China
- Total foreign-born population: 775,944
- Total population: 1,985,926
1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
Updated
Photo Credit: Just dance / Shutterstock
- Foreign-born population share: 40.9%
- Most common country of origin: Cuba
- Total foreign-born population: 2,504,666
- Total population: 6,129,858
