Illegal immigrants on the job.

• Position: GRAPH: NATIONAL

An estimated 11 million illegal immigrants currently live in the United States, and more than 75 percent of them are part of the workforce. As the article "Immigration: A Dream Deferred" [p. 12) mentions, many of those who brought their children to the U.S. illegally did so in search of better opportunities for them. A common misperception about illegal immigrants is that most work on farms or in restaurant kitchens. But, as this graph shows, they actual[l, work in many different industries.

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ANALYZE THE GRAPH

(1) About how many percentage points separate illegal immigrants in manufacturing from those in wholesale and retail sales?

a nine

b six

c eight

d one

(2) The percentage of U.S. citizens working in construction is one third the percentage of illegal immigrants working in that industry, or

a 3 percent

b 6 percent

c 7 percent

d 10 percent

(3) The percentage of (4) illegal immigrants who work in wholesale and retail. sales is twice that of those who work in what industry?

a construction

b education and health care

c manufacturing

d leisure and hospitality

(4) About 8.3 million illegal immigrants work in the U.S. Approximately how many work in the leisure and hospitality industry?

a 1.4 million

b 1.8 million

c 2 million

d 2.3 million

(5) About 22 percent of U.S. citizens work in education and healthcare. That's almost--times the percentage of illegal immigrants in those fields.

a two

b five

c ten

d four

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(1) What challenges do...