Tucker Carlson: So how many illegal aliens are really in the US? – Fox News
Have you ever noticed thatnobody in Washington can agree on a number? You would think that people with functioning calculators could come to similar math- based conclusions once in a while, but not in D.C. Try getting a consensus on unemployment projections or consumer confidence levels frommembers of Congress. You can't even get a straight answer on how many troops will be occupying the Capitol three months from now, and that's something they directly control.
With all of that in mind, it's pretty amazing to watch virtually everyone in Washington, Republican and Democrat, repeat precisely the same number when discussingone of the most critical problems that we face. That number is 11 million. That number, they tell us, is exactly how many foreign nationals currently live here illegally.
It's almost like a script now. People have different views on what we ought to do about illegal immigrants, but nobody questions how many there are. There are 11 million, period.
A month before last year's presidential election, Joe Biden promised: "Within 100 days, I'm going to send to the United States Congress a pathway to citizenship for over 11 million undocumented people, and all of those so-called Dreamers, those DACA kids, they're going to be immediately certified again to be able to stay in this country and put on a path to citizenship."
TRUMP, AT CPAC, EXPECTED TO HAMMER BIDEN ON IMMIGRATION, CHINA
Joe Biden is in the White House now. His party controls everything, so he can make good on that promise and he plans to do so. In fact, it's one of the very first things he's doing. How's it going to affect you?
First of all, it's kind of a big deal. All but seven U.S. states have fewer than 11 million people living in them. We're not just talking aboutWyoming and South Dakota, but states likeVirginia, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Massachusetts and so on.What will this cost?It's kind of hard to know the real answer, but if you're trying to put the math together, be sure to factor in the free health care.
It doesn'ttake an economist to know that giving free "health care" to11 million new people could easily capsize theU.S. economy. As Milton Friedman once wisely noted, you can have a welfare state or you can have open borders, but you cannot have both. However, we're getting both. We may, in fact, be getting a great deal more than that.
We all assume that 11 million is the real number of illegal aliens in this country, but is it? No, it's not. In fact, it's a totally fake numberwhich people endlessly repeat eitherbecause they are badly informed or dishonest. They've been repeating that number formore than 15 years.
WHITE HOUSE SAYS BIDEN BACKS CITIZENSHIP FOR 11 MILLION IMMIGRANTS AHEAD OF BILL UNVEILING
In 2005, the Pew Research Center announced that "the undocumented population has reached nearly 11 million." The weird thing is that 12 years later, Pew had roughly the same estimate. That should have been a tell that the number itself was fraudulent.
In 2018, the Department of Homeland Security, which exists to track numbers like these, played along with it and put the number of illegal aliens in the U.S. at somewhere around 12 million. Yeah, right. In April 2019, then-DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen admitted on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" that "we do not know" exactly how many people are living in this country illegally.
So what's going on here? Here's what we found:Pretty much everybody who talks about immigration is using the Census Bureau's annual American Community Survey to estimate how many illegal immigrants live in this country. The Census Bureau tallies up the number of foreign-born people they've identified who live in this country, then estimate or subtract the number of foreign-born people known to be in the U.S. legally. Bingo, 11 million.
The problem is this method of calculation is bound to be wrong. Many illegal immigrants don't respond to census takers. Why would they say they're here illegally? Robert Groves, the former director of the Census Bureau, summed up the reality this way: "There isno magic bullet that anyone has discovered to count this population [illegal immigrants]. This is really very difficult to estimate."
Now, many of the studies projectingthat only 11 million illegal immigrants live here, have, in fact, acknowledged that the census is not perfect. Yet strangely, they assumed that it was pretty close to perfect. Specifically, they operated on the assumption that only about 10%of illegal immigrants weren't being captured by census takers. Put another way, their models assumed that 90%of the people living in this country illegally were willing to cooperate with census takers.
Now, that seems like a ridiculous assumption, but there's a reason. Ann Coulter explains that reason in her book "Adios America," which even now is one of the few serious explorations of this topic. It turns out that researchers have been relying on a 2001studyfunded by the University of California. That survey asked829 people born in Mexico and living in Los Angeleswhether they responded to census interviews. The majority of them said yes.
Here's the amazing thing. Nearly 40%of those households refused to answer the survey at all. In other words, all the assumptions that there are 11 million illegal immigrants in this country are based on a separate assumption: That 90%of illegal immigrants are willing to cooperate with the Census Bureau. That assumption, in turn, is based on a survey showing nearly half of all illegal immigrants refused to fill out the survey. This is bad math at the very least.
BIDEN HHS PICK BECERRA SAYS TAXPAYER-FUNDED HEALTHCARE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NOT SUPPORTED BY LAW
In 2018, researchers at Yale and MIT decided to update the methodology using "operational data" such as deportations, visa overstays, demographic data, death rates, immigration rates, etc. They combined them and used a mathematical model to establish a range of estimates.
How many people live here illegally? Here's what they found: "After running 1,000,000 simulations of the model, the researchers' 95%probability range is 16 million to 29 million,with 22.1 millionas the mean."
In other words, the estimates that we've been relying on for decadescould possibly --in fact, may likely -- be off by more than 18 million people. There could easily be 30 million (or more) illegal immigrants living in this country. That's more people thanlive in the entire state of Texas.
So how would amnesty for that many people affect our "democracy"? In effect, it would end our democracy. People who have lived here all of their lives, paid taxes, followed the rules, been good citizens, would find their votes diluted to the point of irrelevance. (It would mean an instantaneous end to African-American political power, for one thing.) It would also ensure permanent rule by the Democratic Party, which is the point of it.
HOW TRUMP CLINCHED FLORIDA VICTORY WITH HELP OF HISPANICS
By the way, back in 2005, Bear Stearns, one of the most prominent victims of the 2008 financial collapse, estimated the total illegal immigrant population to be as high as 20 million. Here was their top-line finding in that study:
"Our research has identified significant evidence that the census estimates of undocumented immigrants may be capturing as little as half of the total undocumented population. This gross undercounting is a serious accounting issue which could ultimately lead to government policy errors in the future."
"Government policy errors"likegiving amnesty to 11 million who are actually 30 million? Yeah, that could qualify.
TUCKER: UNDER BIDEN, YOU NEED A NEGATIVE COVID TEST TO ENTER US -- UNLESS YOU'RE AN ILLEGAL ALIEN
The Bear Stearns study did not rely on census data. Instead, they looked at bank transfers, remittances from the U.S. to Mexico. They wanted to capture the number of payments from illegal aliens living here to their families back home. Here's what they found:
"The rate of increase in remittances far exceeds the increases in Mexicans residing in the U.S. and their wage growth. Between 1995 and 2003, the official tally of Mexicans has climbed 56% and median weekly wage income has increased by 10%. Yet total remittances jumped 199%"
There was no obvious explanation for this disparity, apart from a lot more illegal immigration than the authorities were acknowledging.
HOUSE GOP MEMBERS TELL BIDEN 'FAR-LEFT' IMMIGRATION AGENDA CREATING BORDER CRISIS
Theresearchers at Bear Stearns looked at other indicators, tooFor example, they analyzed data on school enrollment and housing permit applications for multiple dwellings. In one instance, they found that some towns in New Jersey reported a 5-6% growth in population size. At thesame time, requests for housing permits were increasing by 600%.
"In major immigrant gateway cities," the study found, "the influx of immigrants has led to overcrowded dwellings and a housing boom unexplained by official population growth."
That was all 16 years ago, and in 2021, the party in charge is still assuring us that the number of illegal immigrants in this country has somehow declined by up to 10 million people.How insulting is that to even to float that idea? Consider everything that has happened since 2006: The amnesty for the so-called "Dreamers," the promises of mass amnesty, the endless caravans.
The 11 million number is, above all, a lie; one of the more obvious lies ever told. We're not social scientists, and it took about an hour for us to find this out.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Joe Biden knows this. In the summer of 2019, he more or less admitted the point of amnesty: To import as many new Democratic voters as possible.
BIDEN: We could afford to take, in a heartbeat, another two million people. The idea that a country of 330 million people cannot absorb people who are in desperate need and who are justifiably fleeing oppression is absolutely bizarre, absolutely bizarre. I would also move to increase the total number of immigrants able to come to the United States.
Of course, they won'ttell you the total number. They want you to believe it's 11 million, always and forever. By the time you figure out they're lying to you, it'll be too late to do anything about it, obviously.
This article is adapted from Tucker Carlson's opening commentary on the Feb. 24, 2021 edition of "Tucker Carlson Tonight."
View original post here:
Tucker Carlson: So how many illegal aliens are really in the US? - Fox News
- ICE Boston arrests illegal alien charged with numerous sex crimes - ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov) - July 30th, 2026 [July 30th, 2026]
- ICE Chicago removes former NFL player, criminal illegal alien from Kenya - ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov) - July 30th, 2026 [July 30th, 2026]
- Joint enforcement operation targets illegal tobacco, cannabis vapes and immigration offences - Lincolnshire Police - July 30th, 2026 [July 30th, 2026]
- Illegal Immigration Killing Britain, Trump Warns New UK PM - The Whistler Newspaper - July 30th, 2026 [July 30th, 2026]
- SUPPLY, DEMAND AND DINAS DENIAL: Titus Scoffs at Link Between Illegal Immigration and Housing - Nevada Globe - July 30th, 2026 [July 30th, 2026]
- HSI Omaha leads investigation resulting in federal prison sentences for 2 criminal illegal aliens who conspired to steal millions from ATMs - ICE |... - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- 5 arrested, including 3 criminal illegal aliens released into the country by the Biden administration, in Middle Tennessee human trafficking... - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- ICE removes criminal illegal aliens to Honduras in partnership with Department of War - ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov) - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- Dallas Fed Paper Links Illegal Immigration To Nearly A Third Of Home Price Growth - Dallas Express - July 16th, 2026 [July 16th, 2026]
- ICE continues removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens throughout June - ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov) - July 13th, 2026 [July 13th, 2026]
- Criminal illegal alien charged with aggravated assault on ICE officer in Florida - ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov) - July 13th, 2026 [July 13th, 2026]
- Dallas Fed report says illegal immigration during Biden administration helped raise housing cost - CBS News - July 13th, 2026 [July 13th, 2026]
- Did illegal immigration drive up US home prices? Here's what a Fed study found - The Times of India - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]
- DACA Illegal Alien Who Previously Molested a Toddler Sentenced for Immigration Fraud - Department of Justice (.gov) - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]
- Cape Town anti-illegal immigration campaign appeals for wider citizenry support - EWN - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]
- Some foreign nationals believe govt couldve managed illegal immigration crisis better - EWN - July 7th, 2026 [July 7th, 2026]
- The Birthright Citizenship Dissents and Illegal Immigration - National Review - July 1st, 2026 [July 1st, 2026]
- From teacher pay to illegal immigration: New laws set to take effect in Mississippi - Magnolia Tribune - July 1st, 2026 [July 1st, 2026]
- Anti-illegal immigration activists in KuGompo urge govt to address their grievances - EWN - July 1st, 2026 [July 1st, 2026]
- Mthombeni says Gauteng police have capacity to manage weekly anti-illegal immigration protests - Inside Metros - July 1st, 2026 [July 1st, 2026]
- South Africa deploys police for widespread protests by groups opposing illegal immigration - Ottumwa Courier - July 1st, 2026 [July 1st, 2026]
- ActionSA Ekurhuleni Demands Action on Illegal Immigration and the Township Economy - ActionSA - July 1st, 2026 [July 1st, 2026]
- KuGompo City braces for anti-illegal immigration protest after Igbo king unrest - Daily Dispatch - June 24th, 2026 [June 24th, 2026]
- Illegal immigration: is it worth it? The answer is always NO. - MilitaryNews.com - June 24th, 2026 [June 24th, 2026]
- Are Americans footing the bill for illegal immigration, as Mike Lee says? - NPR Utah | KUER - June 24th, 2026 [June 24th, 2026]
- Government calls for protesters against illegal immigration to march peacefully - South African Government News Agency - June 24th, 2026 [June 24th, 2026]
- Meghalaya BJP Seeks Tougher Curbs on Illegal Immigration Amid Growing ILP Push - Northeast Live - June 24th, 2026 [June 24th, 2026]
- Some MPs blame the Department of Home Affairs for the illegal immigration crisis - EWN - June 24th, 2026 [June 24th, 2026]
- The true reality of illegal immigration - Daily Voice - June 24th, 2026 [June 24th, 2026]
- FACT FOCUS: Trump says illegal immigration increased car insurance premiums. Experts say otherwise - AP News - June 17th, 2026 [June 17th, 2026]
- Trump says G7 united on illegal immigration and drug trafficking - Fox News - June 17th, 2026 [June 17th, 2026]
- FACT FOCUS: Trump says illegal immigration increased car insurance premiums. Experts say otherwise - Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal - June 17th, 2026 [June 17th, 2026]
- Trump says G7 united on illegal immigration and stopping drug trafficking - Fox News - June 17th, 2026 [June 17th, 2026]
- Fact focus: Trump says illegal immigration increased car insurance premiums. Experts say otherwise - The Wenatchee World - June 17th, 2026 [June 17th, 2026]
- FACT FOCUS: Trump says illegal immigration increased car insurance premiums. Experts say otherwise - Herald Bulletin - June 17th, 2026 [June 17th, 2026]
- Fact focus: Trump says illegal immigration increased car insurance premiums. Experts say otherwise - MSN - June 17th, 2026 [June 17th, 2026]
- HSI St. Louis investigation leads to removal of illegal alien who attempted to give baby away to pay debt to smugglers - ICE | U.S. Immigration and... - June 16th, 2026 [June 16th, 2026]
- An illegal immigrant was working as a corrections officer in Maine before he was nabbed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE officers... - June 16th, 2026 [June 16th, 2026]
- Deportation hits illegal immigration supply. Mandatory E-Verify will address demand - Federation for American Immigration Reform - June 14th, 2026 [June 14th, 2026]
- ICE asks officials not to release Mexican criminal illegal alien and alleged drunk driver accused of killing Georgia mother - ICE | U.S. Immigration... - June 14th, 2026 [June 14th, 2026]
- 'You're destroying your countries': Is Europe finally heeding Trump's warning on illegal immigration? - Fox News - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- DHS releases first VOICE and DHS VINE data reports emphasizing support for victims of illegal alien crime - ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs... - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- AFRICA/SOUTH AFRICA - Tightening on illegal immigration policies following a wave of xenophobia. Msgr. Sipuka states that "all domestic problems... - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Reconciliation Bill Will Ensure Immigration Enforcement Continues but Statutory Changes are Still Needed to Prevent Future Illegal Immigration Crises,... - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Can't we get tough on illegal immigration and still be compassionate to all? - IOL - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Illegal Immigrant Who Escaped During Immigration Office Escort Apprehended After About 19 Hours on the Run - - June 12th, 2026 [June 12th, 2026]
- Europe has reduced illegal immigration without goon tactics - The Economist - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Nearly 50 detained, 6 indicted in SC illegal immigration operation - WIS News 10 - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Lawsuit seeks to halt Tennessee law making illegal immigration a state crime - News From The States - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- AG, Homeland Security, SLED announce arrests in illegal immigration case - FOX Carolina News - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Ramaphosa to address nation on illegal immigration as tensions rise - theherald.co.za - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- ActionSA Disappointed by Presidents Weak and Reactionary Address on Illegal Immigration Crisis - ActionSA - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Another $90M for illegal immigration teed up - yoursun.com - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Florida Cabinet Prepares to Award Another $90 Million For Illegal Immigration Enforcement - FlaglerLive - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- RECORDED | Ramaphosa addresses the nation on illegal immigration - Business Day - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Ramaphosa to address the nation on illegal immigration - Sowetan - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Ramaphosa vows crackdown on illegal immigration, warns against xenophobia - zimlive.com - June 7th, 2026 [June 7th, 2026]
- Criminal illegal alien arrested in Texas for allegedly opening fire on neighbors with assault rifle over Memorial Day weekend has been deported from... - June 3rd, 2026 [June 3rd, 2026]
- June 2: Sen. Liz Brown's bill on illegal immigration ceremonially signed into law - Fort Wayne Business Weekly - June 3rd, 2026 [June 3rd, 2026]
- ICE arrests 24 illegal aliens during 1-day targeted operation with federal, state and local partners in Texas - ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs... - June 3rd, 2026 [June 3rd, 2026]
- Government is intensifying efforts to tackle illegal immigration: SA President - Channel Africa - June 3rd, 2026 [June 3rd, 2026]
- Ramaphosa to act on illegal immigration as anti-foreigner protests spread across SA - Daily Maverick - June 3rd, 2026 [June 3rd, 2026]
- Government intensifies fight against corruption, illegal immigration - South African Government News Agency - June 3rd, 2026 [June 3rd, 2026]
- Iran's Khamenei warns US will lose 'safe haven' in Gulf; Amit Shah forms panel on illegal immigration-lin - The Times of India - May 27th, 2026 [May 27th, 2026]
- Centre forms panel to study demographic shifts linked to illegal immigration - The Indian EYE - May 27th, 2026 [May 27th, 2026]
- Call for anti-illegal immigration demonstrators to operate within the law - EWN - May 27th, 2026 [May 27th, 2026]
- Assam urges Centre to seal its border with Bangladesh to prevent illegal immigration - News On AIR - May 27th, 2026 [May 27th, 2026]
- Government convenes urgent meeting over anti-illegal immigration protests - The Witness | Your compass in the community - May 27th, 2026 [May 27th, 2026]
- Big Banks and the U.S. Treasury Have Been Enabling Illegal Immigration for Two Decades - Center for Immigration Studies - May 25th, 2026 [May 25th, 2026]
- Judge Re-Blocks Provisions of Texas Illegal Entry Law - Federation for American Immigration Reform - May 25th, 2026 [May 25th, 2026]
- Ghana High Commission starts repatriation process after tensions over illegal immigration - EWN - May 25th, 2026 [May 25th, 2026]
- ICE arrests illegal alien accused of killing daughter in Arizona - ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov) - May 20th, 2026 [May 20th, 2026]
- EDITORIAL: Upholding the rule of law against illegal immigration - Colorado Springs Gazette - May 20th, 2026 [May 20th, 2026]
- Three-time deported illegal alien arrested and charged after assaulting federal immigration officers in the Eastern District of Texas - Herald... - May 20th, 2026 [May 20th, 2026]
- Border Control to Stop Illegal Immigration is Necessary to Protect the U.S., but Legal Immigration is Important Too - Daily Gate City - May 16th, 2026 [May 16th, 2026]
- Ramaphosa calls for unity against xenophobia and illegal immigration challenges - Cape Town ETC - May 11th, 2026 [May 11th, 2026]
- ICE lodges detainer on criminal illegal alien in Texas accused of beating victim unconscious, raping him while he was incapacitated - ICE | U.S.... - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- Second Circuit Breaks with Others on Mandatory Detention of Illegal Entrants - Center for Immigration Studies - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- New Legal Challenge to Texas Law Criminalizing Illegal Immigration Rebuked by Lt. Gov. Patrick - The Texan - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]
- ICE confirms suspect in San Francisco stabbing is Venezuelan criminal illegal alien who entered the US under Biden administrations deadly... - May 7th, 2026 [May 7th, 2026]