Study: Asians To Become Largest U.S. Immigrant Group By 2055

Published September 28, 2015 at 12:52 PM EDT

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Hua Bai, center, vice president of Friendship Association of Chinese Scholars and Students, prepares for an orientation for fellow Chinese students at the University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson, Texas, Aug. 22, 2015. Bai came from China last year to work on a master’s degree in marketing and information technology management. The 25-year-old said that given the right opportunity, she’d like to stay in the U.S. Census Bureau research shows immigrants from China and India, many with student or work visas, have overtaken Mexicans as the largest groups coming into the U.S. (LM Otero/AP)

The share of the foreign-born population in the United States is near a record high. Fifty years after passing the Immigration and Nationality Act, nearly 59 million immigrants have arrived in the U.S. – a wave that has reshaped the demographics of the country.

A new study out by the Pew Research Center measures the impact of the law, and projects that the wave of migration will continue. Pew Research projects that Asians will become the largest immigrant group by 2055, surpassing Latinos. It also predicts that by 2065, Asians will make up 38 percent of the foreign-born population, while Hispanics will account for 31 percent.

Derek Thompson of The Atlantic discusses the study and immigration trends with Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson.

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Derek Thompson, senior editor at The Atlantic. He tweets @DKThomp.

Study: Asians To Become Largest U.S. Immigrant Group By 2055

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