Illegal immigration is migration to a country/state in violation of the immigration laws and sovereignty of that country/state. Illegal immigration raises many political, economic and social issues and has become a source of major controversy in developed countries and the more successful developing countries.
In 2010, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that 25.5 to 32.1 million people (or 10%–15%) of the world's total 214 million international migrants are unauthorized immigrants, though the IOM notes that it is difficult to make accurate estimates.
Read more about Illegal Immigration: Other Terms, Problems, Legal and Political Status
Famous quotes containing the words illegal and/or immigration:
“It ought to be illegal for an artist to marry.... If the artist must marry let him find someone more interested in art, or his art, or the artist part of him, than in him. After which let them take tea together three times a week.”
—Ezra Pound (1885–1972)
“America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity. That part of America which had encouraged them most had advanced most rapidly in population, agriculture and the arts.”
—James Madison (1751–1836)