Inland area sees big drop in immigrants

The Census is showing that this part of California lost immigrants, probably because of the economy. - - Donna Poisl

By DAVID OLSON, The Press-Enterprise

The Inland area had among the nation's steepest declines in its immigrant population during the recession, a study released Wednesday found.

In Riverside and San Bernardino counties, the number of foreign-born residents fell by about 29,000 -- or 3.2 percent -- between 2007 and 2009, to about 883,000. The decline followed years of constant increases in the immigrant population, driven in part by the construction industry.

Other areas hit hard by the economic downturn, such as Stockton, Fresno and Providence, R.I., also saw drops, while cities with lower unemployment rates, like Seattle and Raleigh, N.C., had a continued influx of immigrants, according to the report by the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution.
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