Figure by Race, Ethnicity and Citizenship, 2007
Sharp growth in illegal immigration and increased enforcement of immigration laws have dramatically altered the ethnic composition of offenders sentenced in federal courts. In 2007, Latinos accounted for 40% of all sentenced federal offenders—more than triple their share (13%) of the total U.S. adult population. The share of all sentenced offenders who were Latino in 2007 was up from 24% in 1991, according to an analysis of data from the United States Sentencing Commission (USSC) by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.
This heightened focus on immigration enforcement has also changed the citizenship profile of federal offenders. In 2007, Latinos without U.S. citizenship represented 29% of all federal offenders. Among all Latino offenders, some 72% were not U.S. citizens, up from 61% in 1991. By contrast, a much smaller share of white offenders (8%) and black offenders (6%) who were sentenced in federal courts in 2007 were not U.S. citizens.
Figure  | Composition of Sentenced Federal Offenders,  | by Race, Ethnicity and Citizenship, 2007  | 196 ofsentenced offenders)  | U.S citizen  | Non-U.S citizen  | 40  | 29  | 25  | 21  | Hispanic  | White  | Black  | Notes: Percenta ges may not total due to rounding. The category  | "Other" is excluded  | Source: Pew Hispanic Center analysis of United States Sentencing  | Source: Commission Monitoring offederal Criminal Sentences data, 2007 