Today's Useful Data: Who Are the New Immigrants?

Donald Trump's views on immigration are clearly shaped by a vision of Mexican and Central American immigrants surging across the US-Mexico border. Perhaps it is not a surprise that he appears to be out of touch with where today's immigrants are actually coming from.

Demographer William Frey has the facts if he's interested (though I'm sure he's not):

[N]ewly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) show that…[i]mmigrant growth, thus far this decade, is occurring at a slower pace than the previous two, and is dominated by immigrants from Asia and those with college degrees. Moreover, new Asian and college-educated immigrants are especially prevalent in states that voted for Trump in the 2016 election…..

Clearly, the Trump stereotype of low-skilled, rapidly growing immigrant waves from Mexico does not characterize recent foreign-born gains to the U.S. The new census ACS numbers showing large Asian and college graduate immigrant growth is evident in the majority of states, especially low immigrant states. Many of those states, which backed the president in 2016, contain communities that are aging, losing domestic migrants, and are already benefitting from the infusion of new immigrants.

Ironic, no?