Fewer Illegal Immigrants, Report Says

The number of illegal immigrants in the country has dropped by as much 1.3 million in the past year, an 11 percent decline since a historic peak last August, an immigration research group in Washington said in a report released Wednesday.

The report, by Steven A. Camarota and Karen Jensenius of the Center for Immigration Studies, found "strong indications" that stepped-up enforcement by immigration authorities had played a major role in the decline.

The report, which is based on monthly census surveys as recent as May, added to a growing body of studies indicating that the population of illegal immigrants in the United States is dropping significantly.

The study's methods and conclusions were questioned by other demographers and economists, who said the decline might be less than the center reported and was more likely the result of the weak economy, especially in low-wage construction and manufacturing.

"The decline can easily be explained by changes in the economy," said Steve Levy, senior economist at the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto. He said California had lost 134,000 construction jobs since the summer of 2006.