Mass deportation policies threaten to break up the families of one million New Yorkers and destabilize the city’s workforce
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New York, NY - The Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) has released A Portrait of Immigrant New Yorkers, a comprehensive briefing providing up-to-date demographic, economic, and social data on immigrant New Yorkers. The briefing also highlights the devastating potential impact of mass deportation policies to break up the families of nearly one million (950,000) New Yorkers who live in mixed-status households, and destabilize the city’s workforce.
New York has long been known as a city of immigrants, and today more than one in three New Yorkers (3.1 million people) are foreign-born. As federal immigration enforcement efforts increasingly target American cities, this briefing provides a factual foundation for understanding immigrant New Yorkers’ diverse backgrounds, their critical roles in the city’s workforce and economy, and the specific challenges for which immigrant communities need support.
Key findings:
- 3.1 million New Yorkers, 38% of the population, are foreign-born.
- Between 2010 and 2023, the foreign-born population has stayed relatively stable, increasing from 3.01 million to 3.1 million. The proportion of naturalized citizens grew significantly (17%), but was offset by significant decreases in the population of undocumented immigrants (19%).
- Almost a million (950,000 people, 1 in 9 residents) live in mixed-status households; 267,000 are children.
- 142,000 US citizen children in New York City live with at least one undocumented parent.
- Immigrants make up 44% of the city’s labor force, including 76% of home health aides, 82% of taxi drivers, and 80% of construction laborers.
- Immigrant New Yorkers have lived in the US an average of 24 years, while naturalized citizens average 31 years.
The full data briefing also provides detailed insights on borough-by-borough immigrant settlement patterns, income and poverty levels, education levels, housing conditions, English language proficiency, workforce participation including occupations and industries, and population shifts over time, including the growing share of naturalized citizens and changing origins of newly arrived residents.
Mario Russell, Executive Director at CMS, said: “New York’s immigrants are, and have always been, essential to the city’s identity and economy. Offering hope and vision with a uniquely American imagination, for more than a century, they have created vital communities that form this city’s singular status as a beacon of culture, innovation, and opportunity.
“With 3.1 million foreign-born New Yorkers, making up 44% of the city’s labor force, including the vast majority of workers in essential occupations such as home health aides (76% of workers are foreign-born) and taxi drivers (82% foreign-born), the indiscriminate targeting of immigrants poses a significant threat to the fabric and future of the city. The safety and stability of immigrant New Yorkers is inseparable from the city’s success.”
“We are deeply grateful to CMS for producing this report at such a critical moment. As New York City enters a transition in local government and immigrant communities face mounting threats, this data will be essential for shaping policy and guiding decisions that affect the 3.1 million immigrant New Yorkers who keep this city moving,” said Manuel Castro, NYC’s Commissioner of Immigrant Affairs. “The numbers make clear what is at stake: 950,000 New Yorkers live in mixed-status households, including 142,000 U.S. citizen children with an undocumented parent. These are the families who would be torn apart by mass deportation policies. As someone who came to this city as a child migrant, I know well the fear these families carry. CMS’s report provides the data we need to prepare now and support the individuals and families who will be impacted.”
Vicky Virgin, Senior Research Fellow at CMS, said: “The statistics presented here underscore how interwoven families, households, and communities of people of varying immigration statuses are, and give scale to the repercussions of mass deportation policies aimed at undocumented New Yorkers.
“These policies will affect almost a million (950,000) people living in mixed-status households – especially the 535,000 undocumented New Yorkers who are being directly targeted. There are 267,000 children living in mixed-status households, and of those children, 71,000 are under the age of 5 years old. In New York City, there are 142,000 US citizen children who live with at least one undocumented parent, which could trigger a crisis of family separation for New Yorkers, with severe consequences for children’s mental health and immense strain on the city’s child welfare system.”
Matthew Lisiecki, Senior Research & Policy Analyst at CMS, said: “New York City’s longstanding promise to welcome, protect, integrate, and celebrate immigrant New Yorkers is critical today – and CMS provides this data to clarify both the contributions and role of immigrants to the city, as well as the unmet needs of the foreign-born population.
“Immigrants contribute significantly to New York’s economy and culture, but face inequities in wages, housing stability, and access to services. Immigrant workers earn $9 less per hour than native-born New Yorkers on average. Nearly one-third (31%) of New Yorkers in mixed-status households live near poverty levels, and mixed-status families experience overcrowded housing at considerably higher rates. It is our hope that the briefing helps guide government and nonprofits in effectively serving these immigrant communities.”
For more information, please contact CMS Communications Manager Rosalie Wells at rwells@cmsny.org or 347-407-5137.
Notes on methodology: This data briefing uses the 2023 American Community Survey and CMS’s methodology to estimate undocumented residents, including those with liminal statuses (DACA, TPS, humanitarian parole, and pending asylum) whose legal protections are shifting rapidly under the current administration. Data has been rounded in noted instances due to the sensitivity of these estimates.
The Center for Migration Studies (CMS) is a New York-based educational institute devoted to the study of international migration, to the promotion of understanding between immigrants and receiving communities, and to public policies that safeguard the dignity and rights of migrants, refugees, and newcomers. For more information, please visit www.cmsny.org.
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