Rich illegal immigrants in US hide in shadows

There are up to 20,000 illegal immigrants earning upward of $1,00,000 a year

ATLANTA: Many illegal immigrants in the United States are manual labourers on low wages. But there's another  group that attracts much less attention: entrepreneurs who have set up businesses, created jobs and grown affluent.

There are up to 20,000 illegal immigrants earning upward of $ 100,000 a year as entrepreneurs, and their existence challenges the stereotype that illegal immigrants are a drain on the US economy, according to immigration lawyers and academics. Many say they are living the ''American Dream,'' but almost none trumpet their achievements because they fear deportation.

It is not easy to determine the number of illegal immigrants who earn six figure salaries, but there could be 20,000 of them and a significant proportion earn up to 300,000 dollar a year, said Jeff Passel, lead demographer at the Pew Hispanic Centre in Washington. Advocates see the group as trailblazers for the more than 12 million illegal immigrants estimated to be living in the US. ''These people should be treated like heroes not criminals,'' said Felipe Korzenny, professor of marketing and communications at Florida State University. Wealthy illegal immigrants also came from India, China, Taiwan, Israel and South Africa, he said.

The US runs a Green Card residence permit program for investors but it does not apply to those already in the country illegally. But opponents of illegal immigration said the US should grant no special status according to wealth for people who break the law. Under existing law, people who overstay their visas must return to their home country, and cannot re-enter for 10 years.