The Great Los Angeles Census Caper: Counting Folks Who Maybe Don't Want to Be Counted
Ah, Los Angeles. City of Angels, land of dreams, and apparently, a place where counting residents is like wrangling toddlers – easier said than done. Especially when it comes to the undocumented immigrant population.
So, how many undocumented immigrants are we talking about here?
Nobody really knows for sure. It's like trying to count grains of sand on Venice Beach after a particularly epic taco Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security doesn't dish out county-specific numbers on unauthorized immigrants, which is fair enough. Chasing folks who might not want to be caught isn't exactly the best way to make friends.
However, some brave souls have taken a stab at it. The Migration Policy Institute estimates there were a whopping 951,000 undocumented immigrants chilling in LA County back in 2019. That's roughly 10% of the entire population! Basically, for every ten Angelenos you see rocking out at a Dodgers game, one of them might be there courtesy of a slightly unconventional immigration route.
Where did these undocumented Angelenos come from?
Mexico takes the number one spot, with over half a million folks from south of the border calling LA home (without the official paperwork, of course). El Salvador comes in a distant second, with a cool 112,000 Salvadorans undocumented and presumably enjoying the Cali sunshine.
Why all the secrecy?
Well, let's be honest, if you snuck into a party, you probably wouldn't be too keen on the host announcing your presence to everyone, right? Undocumented immigrants face potential deportation, so staying under the radar is kind of a survival strategy.
But hey, here's the thing: undocumented immigrants are a huge part of the LA story. They contribute to the economy, raise families, and let's face it, who else is going to keep those artisanal taco stands running 24/7?
Maybe one day we'll have a more accurate count, but for now, the number of undocumented immigrants in LA County remains a bit of a mystery. Just like that delicious secret ingredient in your favorite al pastor – it adds a certain je ne sais quoi, but nobody's quite sure what it is.
