Perhaps the most profound demographic trend over the last three decades has been the rapid growth in the immigrant population: the rise in the number of foreigners living in the U.S. is transforming communities, politics, and the economy. While overshadowed to some extent by debates over healthcare, the financial meltdown, and the Great Recession, immigration policy continues to be a highly contentious issue that cuts across traditional party lines and ideologies. In this brief report, we offer a demographic summary of Illinois’ immigrant population and how it has changed over the last two decades.

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