Illinois Immigration Ratings

Hispanic Population

1,923,000

% of State Population

15%

Undocumented Residents

450,000

View Ratings Information

Immigrants, Latinos, and Asians account for large and growing shares of both the economy and the electorate in Illinois. Immigrants make up nearly 14% of the state’s population, and 44% of them are naturalized U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote. “New Americans”—immigrants and the children of immigrants—account for nearly 10% of all registered voters in the state.

Immigrants who are naturalized citizens excel in educational attainment. Latinos account for 15% of all Illinoisans and wield more than $41 billion in consumer purchasing power. At last count, the sales and receipts of businesses owned by Latinos and Asians totaled nearly $22 billion. Immigrant, Latino, and Asian workers and entrepreneurs are integral to Illinois’s economy and tax base—and they are an electoral force with which every politician must reckon.

U.S. Senatorial Voting Record:
Immigration Legislation Immigration Reform

Senator Burris (D)

Senator Durbin (D)

	HS News Grading
Votes	Burris	Durbin
Border Security- Vote to Deny funding to complete 700 miles of border fence.(S.Amdt 1399 to S.Amdt 1373 to HR 2892)	A	A
Deportation- Vote for Funding of Sanctuary Policies for Unauthorized Immigrants.(SAmdt.2630 to HR 2847)	A	A
Workforce- Vote to NOT mandate that all companies with federal contracts verify all employees through E-verify. (S.Amdt 1371 to S.Amdt 1373 to HR 2892)	A	A
Workforce-Vote Not to extend E-Verify for six years (S.Amdt 604 to HR 1105)	A	A
Co-Sponsored DREAM ACT- Development Relief, and education for Alien Minors Act of 2009.( S. 729)	A	A
Overall State Grade:	A

The Immigration Policy Center (IPC) is the research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council. IPC's mission is to shape a rational conversation on immigration and immigrant integration. Through its research and analysis, IPC provides policymakers, the media, and the general public with accurate information about the role of immigrants and immigration policy on U.S. society. IPC reports and materials are widely disseminated and relied upon by press and policy makers. IPC staff regularly serves as experts to leaders on Capitol Hill, opinion-makers and the media. IPC, formed in 2003 is a non-partisan organization that neither supports nor opposes any political party or candidate for office.

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State Facts

1 in 10 registered voters in Illinois are immigrants or the children of immigrants.

The foreign-born share of Illinois’ population rose from 8.3% in 1990, to 12.3% in 2000, to 13.8% in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
43.7% of immigrants in Illinois were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2007—meaning that they are eligible to vote.
10% of all registered voters in Illinois are “New Americans”—naturalized citizens or the U.S.-born children of immigrants who were raised during the current era of immigration from Latin America and Asia which began in 1965—according to an analysis of 2006 Census Bureau data by Rob Paral & Associates.

Nearly 15% of Illinoisans are Latino—and they vote.

The Latino share of Illinois’ population grew from 7.9% in 1990, to 12.3% in 2000, to 14.9% in 2007. The Asian share of the population grew from 2.5% in 1990, to 3.4% in 2000, to 4.3% in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Latinos comprised 7% of Illinois voters in the 2008 elections, and Asians 2%, according to CNN exit polls. Barack Obama defeated John McCain among Latino voters in Illinois by 72% to 27%.

Immigrants are essential to Illinois economy as workers.

Immigrants comprised 17.8% of the state’s workforce in 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
One in six Illinois workers, or 17%, was an immigrant in 2005, compared to only 14% in 2000, according to a study by Rob Paral and Associates.
Immigrants are a large part of Illinois’ advancing job sectors, representing 27.7% of all net job creation in the “health diagnosing” sector from 2000 to 2005.
In just the Chicago metro area, the consumer expenditures of undocumented immigrants alone generated more than 31,000 jobs in the local economy and added $5.45 billion annually to the gross regional product, according to a 2002 survey by the University of Illinois at Chicago.
If all unauthorized immigrants were removed from Illinois in 2008, the state would lose $25.6 billion in expenditures, $11.4 billion in economic output, and approximately 119,214 jobs, even accounting for adequate market adjustment time, according to a report by the Perryman Group.

Latino and Asian entrepreneurs and consumers add billions of dollars and tens-of-thousands of jobs to Illinois’s economy.

The 2008 purchasing power of Illinois’s Latinos totaled $40.9 billion—an increase of 364.2% since 1990. Asian buying power totaled $22.5 billion—an increase of 340.2% since 1990, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia.
Illinois’ 39,539 Latino-owned businesses had sales and receipts of $7.4 billion and employed 60,576 people in 2002,19 the last year for which data is available. The state’s 44,477 Asian- owned businesses had sales and receipts of $14.5 billion and employed 98,305 people,20 according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2002 Survey of Business Owners.

Naturalized Citizens Excel Educationally.

In Illinois, 31.9% of foreign-born persons who were naturalized U.S. citizens in 2007 had a bachelor’s or higher degree, compared to 23.2% of noncitizens. At the same time, only 21.8% of naturalized citizens lacked a high-school diploma, compared to 37.5% of noncitizens.
The number of immigrants in Illinois with a college degree increased by 33.9% between 2000 and 2007, according to data from the Migration Policy Institute.
38% of all college graduates entering the Illinois labor force are foreign-born, according to a 2006 study by Rob Paral and Associates.
The number of immigrants in Illinois with less than a high-school diploma decreased by 1.7% between 2000 and 2007.
In Illinois, 75.9% of all children between the ages of 5 and 17 in families that spoke a language other than English at home also spoke English “very well” as of 2007.