Migrants’ numbers on rise again

WASHINGTON — After almost a decade of languishing growth, the nation’s immigrant population increased by more than 1 million last year amid stronger job creation in the U.S. and slowing economic activity in other parts of the world.

New government data show there were 42.4 million foreign-born people in the U.S. last year, or 13.3 percent of the country’s total population. That’s up 1.04 million from 2013, about double the annual growth in recent years.

The sharp increase in immigrants, most of whom came from Asia, contrasts with a small net decrease in immigrants in 2008 during the depths of the recession. The surge has been felt especially in states such as California and Florida.

The upturn comes as illegal immigration becomes a highly contentious issue in the 2016 presidential campaign, with many conservatives in particular expressing concerns about the social and economic costs.

Paradoxically, ferment over illegal immigration rose in the last few years even as immigration numbers remained relatively low. The issue draws strength, in part, from voter concerns over stagnant wages, which some link to immigrants competing for jobs, as well as from worries over rapid changes in American culture and society.

Republican front-runner Donald Trump has made immigration a signature issue, vowing to block illegal immigration from Mexico and deport all immigrants who are in the country without documentation, but also proposing measures to reduce legal immigration, including a cutback in the H1-B visas widely used by technology companies to bring in foreign job candidates.