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The number of unauthorized immigrants living in Indiana fell from about 100,000 people to 85,000 between 2009 and 2012. That’s according to a report from the Pew Research Center.
The study indicates the national population of unauthorized immigrants has “leveled off” after the Great Recession but state trends are more volatile. The number decreased in 14 states including Indiana but rose in seven states over the five years the study analyzed.
The report’s authors indicate fluctuations can largely be attributed to a drop in the number of unauthorized immigrants from Mexico.
Father John McCaslin is the pastor of St. Anthony and Holy Trinity parishes. He says in his bilingual community on the west side of Indianapolis, he’s noticed some immigrants have moved out of the state or country because of the lackluster economy.
“Some families have returned to their countries of origin because they can’t find work,” McCaslin says. “If you worked in the construction industry for the past six or seven years, it was very difficult to find work.”
McCaslin and several other organizations in Indiana point out that they do not ask immigrants about their legal status, so determining what is causing shifts in populations can be difficult to pinpoint.
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