-- a Los Angeles Times editorial:

The number of immigrants entering the United States illegally has plummeted in tandem with the economy, with the greatest slowdown occurring between 2007 and 2009, according to a report issued Wednesday by the nonpartisan Pew Hispanic Center. Also, the number of people apprehended at the border is down dramatically, and furthermore, an estimated 1 million illegal immigrants have left the country. But the report, coming as the immigration reform debate turns increasingly ugly, is a timely reminder of how perception lags reality.

Even as Arizona passes draconian anti-immigrant laws and prominent Republicans seek to disenfranchise American-born children of illegal immigrants, the truth is that illegal immigration has not been this low since the middle of the decade. Between 2000 and 2005, an average of 850,000 people a year entered the United States illegally, according to the report; that number fell to 300,000 in 2007 to 2009. Some states saw particularly steep declines, including Nevada, Florida and Virginia. Arizona, Colorado and Utah saw a combined decline of 130,000 illegal immigrants. The number of people entering the country today is not insignificant, but the trend is clear. The best way to characterize this period is as a lull.

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