By the numbers: Illegal immigration and expired visas

by Adnan Alam

By Cronkite News Service

Here are some quick numbers about illegal immigration by those who stay after their visas expire:

_ Almost half of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. stayed after their visas expired, according to a 2006 estimate by the Pew Hispanic Center.
_ About 6 million people come into the U.S. each year on non-immigrant visas, according to the U.S. Department of State.
_ Since 2007, an estimated 300,000 individuals per year have stayed after their visas expired, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
_ From 2006 to 2009, federal officials developed a priority list of about 46,000 people believed to be in the U.S. after their visas expired, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Of those, 1,800 were apprehended.