Graphic: Fewer illegal immigrants, but they’re staying longer

As the immigration debate heats up ahead of an anticipated executive order from President Obama later this month, two new reports from the Pew Research Center have updated two key areas of the debate: The current size of the illegal immigrant population (which is smaller, but staying longer than before) and the latest on how Americans view the top priorities for dealing with immigration. Scroll through the charts to see the reports’ findings:

As the number of illegal immigrants has leveled off …

The drop has been due largely to the recession that began in 2007

… illegal immigrants are staying in the U.S. longer.

In 2013, the median number of years immigrants resided in the U.S. was 13

… and as a result, they are increasingly parents of U.S. citizens.

Allowing parents to stay with their U.S.-born children is a key area of the debate

At the same time, a larger percent of the public wants to see stronger border control and law enforcement: