Children in Immigrant Families: Ensuring Opportunity for Every Child in America

Posted by on April 24, 2011

Children in Immigrant Families: Ensuring Opportunity for Every Child in America

Wendy Cervantes, Donald J. Hernandez, First Focus, March 2011.

Children in immigrant families account for nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of all children as of 2010, and the vast majority (88 percent) are U.S. citizens. In fact, children of immigrants account for nearly the entire growth in the U.S. child population between 1990 and 2008.1 This policy brief draws on key indicators from the Foundation for Child Development Child Well-Being Index (CWI), as well as additional data, to highlight both similarities and differences in the circumstances of children in immigrant and native-born families. Additional statistics that pertain particularly to the situation of children in immigrant families, namely citizenship and language skills, are also provided. Finally, this brief discusses recently passed federal legislation as it relates to children in immigrant families and points to policies that will ensure that we as a country are securing our future by providing opportunity for every child.

http://www.firstfocus.net/sites/default/files/FCDImmigration.pdf