Many in U.S. Illegally Overstayed Their Visas

[question everything]

Proponents of overhauling the U.S. immigration system increasingly point to the fact that about 40% of the 11 million undocumented workers in the country aren't low-wage workers who sneaked over the southern border illegally, but rather foreigners who arrived legally and simply never left. Those working to create a path to citizenship for people here illegally often make the distinction to highlight the diverse immigration issues the U.S. faces. Little is known about the demographics of the so-called overstayer population, but some studies suggest they tend to be better educated and more fluent in English than those who crossed the border illegally. They also are more likely to hail from European, Asian and African countries. And in many cases, they used tourist visas to enter the U.S.

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The Senate effort has been repeatedly delayed, in part because so many facets of immigration are more complex than many realized. Among those issues: the 40% of unauthorized immigrants who overstay their visas. "Whenever I use that statistic, people seem completely surprised," said Sen. Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.), part of the Senate group working on immigration. "They assume that, yeah, some people overstay—but 40% of the illegal population here?" A good chunk of those, he said, could prove to be people who overstayed H-1B visas, which are given to highly skilled workers.

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The government doesn't compile information on the estimated four million to five million people who have stayed beyond their legal visits, leaving outside experts to piece together a snapshot of who they are and where in the U.S. they live. This group had, on average, 13.2 years of education, compared with 9.4 years for those who crossed the border illegally, according to a study by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California of more than 8,500 immigrants who gained permanent legal status in 2003. Some 55% of visa overstayers spoke English well or very well, compared with 39% of those who crossed the border illegally. The same study showed racial and ethnic differences.

Experts are quick to caution that they know relatively little about the overstayers because the government doesn't actively study them. The Department of Homeland Security takes fingerprints and photos of foreigners who enter the U.S., but there is no similar system to track their exits.

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323916304578404960101110032.html

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[sinkingfeeling]

1. Hush, you don't want the wall builders and Minutemen to hear that!