More than 10 million U.S. citizens share a household with an undocumented immigrant, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by immigration advocacy group FWD.us.
Nearly half of those U.S. citizens, 4.9 million, are children who have at least one undocumented parent.
The report shows the extent to which undocumented immigrants are integrated in their communities, with 22 million people living in mixed status households.
That number includes households that host U.S. citizens, legal permanent residents or temporary visa holders, and at least one undocumented individual.
In addition, 1.7 million Americans are married to an undocumented immigrant, according to the report.
The analysis comes as immigrant advocates are pushing Democrats in Congress to fight to include immigration provisions in the upcoming $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.
That bill, which is expected to include a wide array of Democratic social priorities, will not be subject to the Senate filibuster, and can pass without any Republican support.
Senate staff are scheduled to make their case Friday on what immigration provisions are eligible for inclusion in such a bill to the Senate parliamentarian, who will issue a ruling on the matter.
Advocates expect as many as 8 million people to be covered in the bill, gaining access to legal permanent residency, which is itself a path to U.S. citizenship.
Currently, undocumented immigrants and beneficiaries of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program are for the most part not allowed to apply for any kind of legal status.
Advocates want Democrats — and the parliamentarian — to include undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as minors, TPS beneficiaries, essential workers and farm workers in the bill.
Some advocates have pushed for undocumented family members to be included as well, potentially raising the number of people eligible for benefits to 11 million.
The push for a blanket legalization bill rests on the expanding political and economic clout of the undocumented and mixed-status communities.
According to the FWD.us report, undocumented spouses and parents of U.S. citizens could earn as much as 58 percent more income with legal permanent residency.
“This economic impact would have important multiplier effects for the broader economy, adding $59 billion more to the economy each year and an additional $16 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local tax revenue,” wrote Phillip Connor, FWD.us senior demographer.
And with the integration of undocumented immigrants to U.S. families and communities, more U.S. voters are personally invested in immigration policy than ever before.
Of the 2.4 million U.S. citizens who live with undocumented immigrants in California, 1.2 million are children, meaning up to 1.2 million eligible voters live in mixed-status households.
In Texas, as many as 1.5 million eligible voters live in mixed-status households, as do more than 140,000 in Arizona and 120,000 in Georgia.
“Fixing our failed immigration system is personal for millions of Americans living in mixed-status families. As citizens and voters, they are looking to Congress to provide their families a long-overdue chance at fairness, certainty, and a brighter future in the country they call home,” wrote Connor.