Undocumented immigrants leave NY at high rate

New York State has been leading the nation in the decline of the undocumented immigrant population over the past three years, according to a new study issued Tuesday.

The analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center, a research organization in Washington, D.C., shows that New York shed about 200,000 undocumented immigrants - roughly the equivalent of the Town of Huntington. The nation had 11.2 million people living in the country illegally - down from a peak of 12 million in 2007.

Those estimates, based on a combination of government data, put New York's undocumented population at 625,000 in March 2010 - a decline of 24 percent in three years.

Pew demographer Jeffrey Passel said the trend coincides with the nation's economic struggles and tougher immigration enforcement.

"We have historically seen the growth patterns track fairly closely with the U.S. economy," Passel said, "but we have also seen in the last couple of years some very substantial changes in enforcement mechanisms and patterns."

Elaine Kahl, spokeswoman for the Suffolk County Coalition for Legal Immigration/No Amnesty, said she has not noticed a reduction in the county's undocumented population. She said more needs to be done to enforce immigration law.

Patrick Young, program director of the Central American Refugee Center, an advocacy group in Hempstead and Brentwood, said undocumented immigrants have been leaving, primarily for economic reasons. Undocumented immigrants were hit harder by the downturn, he said, because of fewer jobs in child care, landscaping and construction.

"The price of housing," Young said, "means there is no margin of error once people lose their jobs."