Hispanic and Indian Immigration Surging in New Jersey

A very interesting article was posted last Thursday by The Star Ledger discussing the new US Census figures. Of particular interest to New Jerseyans interested in immigration issues is the fact that this State saw a remarkable jump in its Mexican population, which has increased by an astounding 115,000 people since 2000. In Passaic County, nearly one out of every three people identify themselves as Mexican. The article also reports that New Brunswick, Lakewood, and Paterson experienced noticeable increases in their Hispanic population and that overall, New Jersey’s Hispanic population rose by forty percent! The article also confirmed what many of us immigration practitioners in Central Jersey already know: that Middlesex County remains home to New Jersey’s largest population of Asian Indians, with Edison, South Brunswick, Woodbridge, Piscataway, and Jersey City being very popular cities. The rise in foreign born residents is not just limited to New Jersey, although this great state is definitely becoming one of the most diverse. In fact, there has been a lot of press recently regarding the growing foreign born population of this country. What some of the statistics don’t make clear is whether the immigration status of these residents. The foreign population could possibly even be larger than we think if undocumented, out of status or “illegal aliens” are not included in the numbers. All the more reason why immigration reform is necessary….