Arun Kumar/IANS

Washington, Aug 11: Indians in the US are not only the fastest growing Asian community, but also have the dubious distinction of being fastest-growing group of illegal immigrants in the country.

According to the American Community Survey of the US Census Bureau, the Asian Indian population in the US grew from almost 1,679,000 in 2000 to 2,570,000 in 2007.

With a growth rate of 53 percent the highest for any Asian American community, and among the fastest growing ethnic groups in the US, Indian Americans are the third largest Asian American ethnic group, after Chinese Americans and Filipinos.

When it comes to illegal immigration, Hispanic illegal immigrants largely outnumber other undocumented immigrants. Mexicans make up nearly 7 million of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

The next largest group of Hispanics are Salvadorans and Guatemalans. But Indians are the fastest-growing group of illegal immigrants in the US, according to US Department of Homeland Security report.

There are 270,000 unauthorised Indians in the US - a 125 percent jump since 2000, the largest percentage increase of any nation with more than 100,000 illegal immigrants.

Many Indians get into the US with an H-1B Visa so they do not have to cross the border illegally. Indian illegal immigrants tend to have attained a higher level of education than other illegal immigrants in the US.

In addition, many immigrants from India can speak English fluently. Immigrants from India often work for high-tech companies and perform highly skilled jobs such as engineering and computer programming.