Origin of immigrants changes for nation, but not Oregon

The face of the nation's newest immigrants is vastly different than a decade ago. While in 2004 most of the states immigrants originated from Mexico, data from the Pew Charitable Trust shows that in 2014 at least 37 states had most of their immigrants originate from a country other than Mexico.

But most immigrants to Oregon still come from Mexico. The same can be said for much of the Southwest and the West.

According to the data, an estimated 17,486 immigrants came to Oregon in 2014. Most came from Mexico and Vietnam. Also in 2014, California took in 363,852 immigrants and Washington took in 60,287 immigrants, mostly from Mexico.

East of the Mississippi, most new immigrants are arriving from China and India, rather than Mexico. However, there are still twice as many Mexican immigrants living in the United States as Chinese and Indian immigrants.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 428,000 Chinese and Indian immigrants came to the U.S. in 2014, compared with 240,000 Mexican immigrants.

Pew officials said some of the changes, including the peak in Mexican immigration, can be attributed to the economy. Droves of Mexican laborers came to the United States around 2005 to work in construction, the release said. But the recession and strict immigration laws, coupled with better job prospects in Mexico, "reduced the flood to a trickle."

Now, educated Chinese and Indian immigrants are finding jobs in the U.S. Many immigrate with L-1 visas, which allow international companies to move their foreign workers into the United States.

gfriedman2@statesmanjournal.com, (503) 399-6653, on Twitter @gordonrfriedman or Facebook.com/gordonrfriedman