Nearly 500,000 illegal immigrants reside in South Florida, making it the fifth-largest metropolitan area with an undocumented population in the United States, according to a new analysis by the Pew Research Center.
About 450,000 illegal immigrants reside in the greater Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area, Pew found, based on 2014 estimates from government data. About 55,000 live in the city of Miami alone.
President Donald J. Trump has promised to crack down on illegal immigration, signing an executive order last month to cut federal funding for cities and counties considered “sanctuaries” for the undocumented.
To avoid the label, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez hastily agreed to hold inmates in local jails for federal immigration agents.
South Florida trails other major urban centers that attract scores more of undocumented immigrants. Leading the list are New York and Los Angeles, with 1.2 million and 1 million, respectively. In third and fourth place are Houston (575,000) and Dallas (475,000).
