How many people seek asylum in the US?
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Asylum is a form of protection for people fleeing persecution in their home countries. Some request it after arriving in the US (affirmative asylum); others apply while facing deportation from the US (defensive asylum). How many people seek asylum here, and where do they come from? Here's the latest data from the Department of Homeland Security.
- Between 1990 and 2021, the US admitted 767,950 asylum seekers. In 2021, asylee admissions dropped to 17,692, the fewest since 1994.
- Chinese nationals were the largest group of asylum seekers from 2012 to 2021, comprising approximately 63,000 people. That was more than one-fifth of the asylees entering the US.
- Between 2013 and 2022, the government granted 27,868 Chinese nationals with affirmative asylum. Venezuelans (20,688), were the second-largest group of affirmative asylees, followed by Egyptians (14,909).
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- Chinese nationals comprised the largest portion of defensive asylees as well (30,175 people), followed by 12,096 people from Salvadorans and 9,142 Guatemalans.
- Over 30% of defensive asylum seekers came from Latin American countries. This is largely due to more migrants arriving at the Southern border in recent years, reaching a record high in December 2022.
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Who are America’s farmers?
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What do rib eyes, soymilk, and oatmeal have in common? They all come from crops or animals raised on US farms. Farms contribute less than 1% of the national GDP, but their products support the entire economy, from manufacturing to restaurants to retail.
- In 2022, the nation had 3.4 million agricultural producers. The term “producers” refers to the farmers and workers involved in making decisions from planting to harvesting on these farms.
- Among these producers, 63.7% were male, 63.2% were at least 55 years old, 95.4% were white, and 84.7% worked on family-owned farms. They were also more likely to be veterans.
- About 50.8% of farms primarily grew crops, while 28.1% focused on beef cattle ranching. Another 17.4% primarily grew oilseed or grains like corn, wheat, and soybeans.
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- Texas had the most farmers (409,682), followed by Missouri (159,688) and Iowa (157,531). The number of farmers in the 2022 agricultural census decreased 0.8% (25,970) compared to a decade prior.
- The average size of the nation’s 1.9 million farms was 463 acres. However, 61% of farmland belonged to the 83,308 farms larger than 2,000 acres.
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There is new leadership at two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agencies: Enforcement & Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations. Here’s more on ICE, with data dating back to 2014. Test yourself with the weekly fact quiz. |
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In 2022, the government budgeted $96.2 billion for elementary and secondary education. Almost half of that, 46.4%, came from the Education Department.
About $1 in every $7 (or 13.7%) of public school funding comes from the federal government. Depending on the district, that number can range from 0% to 75%.
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