Are Illegals Leaving Los Angeles?

The Economist reports:

Just under 1m illegal immigrants are thought to live in Los Angeles County. That is twice as many as in any other American metropolis. Yet the number may have peaked. This month the Urban Institute, a think-tank, estimated that the county lost some 15,000 illicit residents between 2002 and 2004. In the same period America as a whole added more than 1m. Los Angeles's illegal immigrants are relatively old (only 42% are under 30, compared with 49% nationwide) and more likely to have American children. That suggests many will soon become citizens.

There are two reasons for this change. The first is that people who steal across the border or quietly outstay their visas now avoid Los Angeles, just as they increasingly bypass other traditional gateways such as New York and Chicago.

An article well worth your time.