Number of undocumented immigrants in Texas
Executive summary
Multiple reputable sources converge on a clear but not perfectly precise picture: the best-supported, recent estimate is about 1.7 million undocumented immigrants living in Texas, while other analyses and media accounts place the figure as high as roughly 2.0 million depending on methodology and the national baseline used [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. What the leading Texas-focused counts say
State reporting and local public radio draw from recent analyses that put the undocumented population in Texas at about 1.7 million, a number repeated by The Texas Tribune and Texas Public Radio in their explanatory pieces about the state’s immigrant population and enforcement context [1] [2].
2. Why some outlets say “about 2 million”
News outlets covering immigration enforcement in Texas — citing Tribune data and ICE activity — sometimes round the state’s unauthorized population up to “about 2 million,” a framing used to convey scale in reporting on deportation operations and daily arrest rates [3] [4].
3. National estimates drive state totals — and those vary
Differences in Texas totals stem largely from divergent national baselines: for example, the Migration Policy Institute’s work has produced U.S. estimates built on pooled ACS and SIPP data (the MPI methodology underpinning state profiles) while Pew and other research centers have issued higher or lower nationwide counts; a larger national unauthorized total makes a given state’s share translate to a larger absolute number [5] [6].
4. Methodology matters — who’s counted as “undocumented”
Researchers define the “unauthorized” or “undocumented” population differently: MPI’s profiles explicitly include visa overstayers and people with twilight statuses such as DACA, TPS or pending asylum; different treatments of those populations and different adjustments for undercount and emigration produce materially different state estimates [5].
5. Other data points and legacy estimates create confusion
Older and ancillary sources — including DHS Office of Homeland Security Statistics and policy groups like the American Immigration Council — provide county and historical snapshots, or report related measures such as the number of Texans living in households with at least one undocumented family member, which should not be conflated with the state’s undocumented headcount [7] [8].
6. Direct answer and an evidence-backed range
Answering the question directly: the most-cited, recent Texan-focused figure is roughly 1.7 million undocumented immigrants in Texas [1] [2]; alternative, commonly quoted estimates place the number as high as about 2.0 million depending on rounding and the national benchmark used [3] [4]. This range reflects differences in data sources, definitional choices and timing rather than simple measurement error [5] [6].
7. What this means for readers assessing claims
When encountering statements about “how many undocumented immigrants live in Texas,” readers should ask which data source and which year is being cited, whether the count includes visa overstayers or twilight statuses, and whether reporters are rounding for emphasis; the Texas Tribune/TPR 1.7 million figure is the clearest recent point estimate in local reporting, with other reputable outlets using rounded figures up to about 2.0 million [1] [2] [3].