11m illegal immigrants living in US

20 August 2006, 18:00 PM

By Afp, Washington

The number of illegal immigrants living in the United States likely rose from 10.5 million in January 2005 to 11 million in January 2006, according to a report released this week by the Department of Homeland Security. The figures were released as debate rages in the United States over illegal immigration, a topic expected to feature prominently in the race for November's legislative elections in the United States.

The estimate -- widely believed to be well below the real figure as undocumented people are likely to be among the least accurately counted -- was based primarily on the difference between the number of residents born abroad, tracked by the US Census Bureau, and the number of legal immigrants, tracked by the Department of Homeland Security.

Based on the results of the census in 2000 and 2005, the number of illegal immigrants jumped from 8.5 million to 10.5 million -- or 24 percent -- in five years. At that same pace, the number of illegal immigrants would have hit 11 million by January 2006, the report noted.