On Fox, Discredited Anti-Immigrant Filmmaker Triples Number Of Undocumented Immigrants In The U.S.

Fox hosted Dennis Michael Lynch, a discredited anti-immigrant filmmaker, to push the myth that there are 30 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. Recent research shows the actual number -- 11.3 million -- is about one-third of Lynch's claim and is down from previous years.

Fox Guest Lynch Baselessly Claims There Are Close To 30 Million Undocumented Immigrants In The U.S. 

On Fox, Lynch Claims His “Research” Shows “Closer To 30 Million”  Undocumented Immigrants In The U.S..  On the July 28 edition of Fox & Friends, Lynch claimed that “there's no 11 million people in this country illegally ... the research that I've done shows more that it's closer to 30 million people illegally ... I know it's far more.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends7/28/15]

Recent Report Shows There Are 11.3 Million Undocumented Immigrants In The U.S., Down From 2007 

Pew: Currently 11.3 Undocumented Immigrants In The U.S., Down From 2007. A July 22 report from the Pew Research Center noted that “an estimated 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the U.S. in 2014.” The undocumented immigrant population has decreased from the 2007 peak of 12.2 million, and has remained stable for five years, which “contrasts with past trends” of rising levels:

An estimated 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants lived in the U.S. in 2014, according to a new preliminary Pew Research Center estimate based on government data. This population has remained essentially stable for five years after nearly two decades of changes.

The recent overall stability contrasts with past trends. The unauthorized immigrant population had risen rapidly during the 1990s and early 2000s, from an estimated 3.5 million in 1990 to a peak of 12.2 million in 2007. It then dropped sharply during the Great Recession of 2007-09, mainly because of a decrease in immigration from Mexico.

The overall estimate has fluctuated little in recent years because the number of new unauthorized immigrants is roughly equal to the number who are deported, leave the U.S. on their own, convert to legal status, or (in a small number of cases) die, according to the Pew Research analysis. The new unauthorized immigrant total includes people who cross the border illegally as well as those who arrive with legal visas and remain in the U.S. after their visas expire. [PewResearch.org, 7/22/15]

Lynch Has A History Of Pushing Discredited Anti-Immigrant Myths 

Lynch "Guarantee[d]" ISIS  Crossed Border: “I've Seen Qurans, Prayer Rugs. In 2014, Lynch stoked fears about ISIS crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on Fox, claiming “I would guarantee you, they're already here,” because “I've seen Qurans, prayer rugs, you name it.” [Fox News, Fox & Friends8/13/14]

LynchSome Immigrants Are Coming To America To “Cut Your Throat.”  During a 2012 interview with Fox's Neil Cavuto, Lynch fearmongered about immigrants saying, “not everybody is coming here to cut your lawn, some people are coming here to cut your throat.” [Fox News, Your World with Neil Cavuto9/18/12]

Lynch's Films Have Been Heavily Promoted By Hate Groups. Lynch's two previous anti-immigrant films, They Come to America I & II, were heavily promoted by the Federation For American Immigration Reform (FAIR), an organization the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated as a hate group. [Media Matters10/9/13]