According to the Pew Hispanic Centre, in 2010 Georgia had around 425, 000 such immigrants, putting it seventh among American states.

ECONOMIST: Georgia��s immigration bill will hit farmers where it hurts

In a survey conducted last year on behalf of the Pew Hispanic Centre, two-thirds of Hispanic registered voters said they favoured the Democrats.

ECONOMIST: Immigration politics

Some 80% of the 11.1m illegal immigrants in America as of last year are from Latin America, and 60% are from Mexico alone, according to the Pew Hispanic Centre.

ECONOMIST: The Hispanicisation of America

And yet, Latinos have so far punched below their weight in American politics, in contrast to blacks, who have punched above theirs, says Paul Taylor, the director of the Pew Hispanic Centre.

ECONOMIST: Latinos and American politics

In 2002, a survey by the Pew Hispanic Centre and the Kaiser Family Foundation found that over 90% of second-generation Hispanics were either bilingual or mainly English-speaking, split equally between the two.

ECONOMIST: The Americano dream

This week the Pew Hispanic Centre, a research institute, released a report arguing that Mexicans, who once accounted for most of the illegal influx, are now leaving the country in greater numbers than they are entering it.

ECONOMIST: Immigration politics