The majority of the Hispanic population is U.S.-born, says José Diaz-Balart

Donald Trump’s immigration views may be divisive among candidates vying for the GOP presidential nomination, but the bombastic billionaire remains at the top of the polls. Former presidential candidate and conservative pundit Pat Buchanan credits Trump’s rise in part to his willingness to address one of the country’s hottest issues.

Appearing July 26 on NBC’s Meet the Press, Buchanan said people are feeling the "conquest of the West by massive third-world immigrations coming from refugees and border jumpers and all the rest of them."

José Díaz-Balart, host of MSNBC's The Rundown with José Díaz-Balart and a Telemundo anchor, challenged Buchanan’s comments during the show’s panel discussion with some food for thought.

"The invasion is from within," Díaz-Balart said. "The majority of the Hispanic population and the growth is U.S.-born."

He added, "Sprinkle that on your oatmeal, or probably on your huevos rancheros."

We wanted to check his points: Are most Hispanics in the United States born here? And do U.S. births account for the majority of the growth in the Hispanic population?

The answer to both questions is yes.

U.S. Census Bureau spokesman Robert Bernstein directed us to the latest information available from the American FactFinder.

There were about 54 million Hispanics in the United States in 2013. Of this number, about 32.9 million were born in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia, which works out to 61 percent of the overall Hispanic population. Another 2.1 million are considered native to the United States, meaning they were born in Puerto Rico, abroad to American citizens or on a U.S. military base. Adding in this group brings the share of U.S.-born Hispanics to 65 percent.

Either way you read it, Diaz-Balart’s point stands.

Featured Fact-check

Kamala Harris

stated on October 23, 2024 in a CNN town hall

"As of today, we have cut the flow of immigration by over half."

The trend holds when measuring the Hispanic population’s growth from July 2013 to July 2014. Over the course of the year, the Hispanic population increased by about 1.2 million. The natural increase (which refers to the number of domestic births minus the number of deaths) accounts for about 73 percent of this 1.2 million population jump.

An additional note: These numbers include both documented and undocumented Hispanics. According to Bernstein, the U.S. Census Bureau does not ask about an individual’s legal status, so these specific divisions cannot be determined.

Our ruling

Díaz-Balart said, "The majority of the Hispanic population and the growth is U.S.-born."

Census Bureau data support him on both counts. We rate his claim True.