Immigration reform is a major political issue for the 2006 elections. This chart provides historical context on US immigration patterns. Data are from the US Census Bureau.

The chart shows total number of immigrants per decade, beginning in 1820. The 2000s contain data only for 2001-2004:

• 2001 - 1,064,318
• 2002 - 1,063,732
• 2003 - 705,827
• 2004 - 946,142

Use the scroll bars to view the entire chart or see this thumbnail. Also see Immigration as a Percent of Population.