Obama Loses Latino Approval with Rise in Deportations

The majority of Latinos in the United States oppose the way in which the Obama administration is addressing the deportation of illegal immigrants, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center.   

Since 2009, under President Obama, deportations have increased to an annual average of 400,000.  This represents a 30% increase in annual average of deportations since the second term of the Bush administration and is almost double the annual average of deportations during the first term of the Bush administration. 

A vast majority (81%) of the 11.2 million immigrants in the United States without authorization are of Hispanic origin.  Individuals of Hispanic origin constitute an even larger percentage of deported unauthorized immigrants, with 97% of those deported in 2010 identifying as having Hispanic origin. 

Not all Latinos are cognizant of the increase in deportations during Obama's presidency.  A little over a third of Latinos polled (36%) responded that the Bush administration deported about the same number of immigrants as the Obama administration deports currently.  Fewer than half of the Latinos polled reported knowledge of the increase in deportations under the Obama administration; 41% claimed that deportations had increased during Obama's presidency.

Foreign-born Hispanics are much more likely than native-born Hispanics to be aware of the increase in deportations since Obama assumed office.  Whereas 55% of foreign-born Hispanics were aware of this trend, only 25% of native-born Hispanics were.  Awareness of the increase in deportations is most prevalent among Hispanic individuals who have greater chances of being deported.  Almost three-quarters of Hispanic immigrants who do not have United States citizenship or a green card, a population with a high risk of being deported, are aware that deportations have increased under the Obama administration.

Those who disapprove of Obama's policy are likely to be those who are aware that deportations have increased under the Obama administration.

Hispanics Hit Hardest By Recession

According to a study published last week by Pew Research Center, Hispanic families experienced the greatest decline in net worth of all ethnic and racial groups in the US during the recession. The study used US Census data and found that the median wealth of Hispanic households decreased 66% from 2005 to 2009. This and the percent change in median household net worth of other racial and ethnic groups can be seen in the chart (right) that was included in a recent New York Times article discussing the results of the study. As the chart indicates, the Asian population experienced the second largest decrease in net worth at a 54% decrease between 2005 and 2009, while the Black population also experienced a large decrease in net worth at 53%. Whites fared comparatively well to all other races and ethnicities, only experiencing a decrease of 16%. Consequently, the US is currently experiencing the greatest wealth disparities in the 25 years the Census Bureau has been recording data of this nature, with the median wealth of white households now 20 times that of Black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households. The author of the article, Sabrina Tavernise, speculates that Hispanics were particularly vulnerable economically during the recession because nearly two-thirds of their net worth in 2005 was from home equity, which declined sharply with the collapse of the housing market. Whites, on the other hand, had a greater portion of their wealth in other assets, such as stocks. Ms. Tavernise also points out that Hispanics may have been more vulnerable due to the large Hispanic populations in places like Florida and California, which were hit particularly hard by the recession.
 

Increasing Diversity in Largest Metros

SSDAN and Brookings Institution demographer Bill Frey analyzed data from Census 2010 and found that minorities comprise the majority in 32 of the 50 largest metro areas in America. Many cities, especially in the South and Southwest, are plurality black or plurality Hispanic, while others remain plurality but not majority non-Hispanic white. Cities in the great plains tend to remain majority white.

Within cities, minorities are increasingly following whites into the suburbs with 35% of suburban residents now minorities. Heavily concentrated in metro areas, Hispanics make up 26% of city dwellers, 17% of suburbanites and 16% of the population overall. Blacks make up 22% of city dwellers, 10% of suburbanites and 12% of the population overall. The Census Bureau itself predicts that the nation as a whole will be majority-minority by 2042 due to heavy immigration from Central America and higher birthrates among Hispanics than among non-Hispanic whites.

This graphic from the Wall Street Journal shows the plurality ethnic groups in the 100 largest metro areas in the United States. ZM cf