The number of illegal immigrants in the United States has dropped by as much as 1.3 million in the past year, an 11 percent decline since a historic peak last August, an immigration research group said in a report released Wednesday in Washington.

According to the New York Times, “the report, by Steven A. Camarota and Karen Jensenius of the Center for Immigration Studies, found ‘strong indications’ that stepped-up enforcement by immigration authorities had played a major role in the decline.”

The report that is based on monthly census surveys as recent as May, adding to a growing body of studies indicating that the population of illegal immigrants in the country is dropping significantly.

But, the study’s methods and conclusions were questioned by other demographers and economists, who claim the decline might be less than the center reported and was more likely the result of the weak economy, specifically in low-wage construction and manufacturing where illegal immigrants are generally employed.

As reported by the NY Times, “the Center for Immigration Studies in a policy advocacy group that favors reduced immigration and opposes legislation to give legal status to illegal immigrants. The study supports the center’s contention that border enforcement and a crackdown on unauthorized workers and their employers would lead many illegal immigrants to leave the United States without being deported.”

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