Immigration to Georgia Surging

Georgia’s immigrant population grew four times faster
than the country’s in 1970-1990, according to the Washington-based Center for
Immigration Studies.

The non-profit research institute said Georgia’s
foreign-born population increased 424.5% while the U.S. immigrant population
grew 105.8%.  Georgia ranked 16th among states in 1990 in number of immigrants.

The study said there were 173,100 legal immigrants in
Georgia in 1990, or 2.7% of total population.  Reliable measures of illegal
immigration are unavailable, but the study estimated that the state has  33,000
undocumented aliens, based on current trends and the number of illegal aliens
who applied for amnesty in 1986.

The report found that the countries of origin of
Georgia’s foreign-born have changed strikingly.  In 1970 Germans and Britons
accounted for a third of the state’s immigrants but in 1990 Asians accounted
for a third of them.  The largest number from any one country came from Mexico,
about 12%.