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Mass Immigration Said 'Swamping' U.S. Cities
NewsMax ^ | 12 Jan, 2004

Posted on 01/12/2004 7:33:52 PM PST by Happy2BMe

Mass Immigration Said 'Swamping' U.S. Cities

Jon E. Dougherty
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2004
Mass immigration, most of it coming from south of the border, is "swamping" the United States, with six large U.S. cities now consisting mostly of foreign-born inhabitants, a new report warns.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a Washington, D.C.-based group advocating tighter immigration restrictions, says 1.1 million immigrants will enter the U.S. this year alone. In its new report, FAIR says the immigrant population nearly doubled from 19.8 million in 1990 to 31.1 million a decade later.

"America's immigration policies have launched us into a risky experiment never tried by a modern day country," said Dan Stein, FAIR's executive director, in reference to the new numbers. "This demographic change is unlike anything this country has ever experienced, and is unprecedented in modern times."

FAIR says six large U.S. cities over 100,000 – Hialeah and Miami, Fla., along with Glendale, Santa Ana, Daly City and El Monte, Calif. – had foreign-born populations of more than 50 percent. The immigrant population constituted 41-50 percent of the total in four others: Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, and Garden Grove, Calif., along with Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Mexico accounted for about 9.2 million immigrants, or 30 percent of the total foreign-born population in the U.S., according to the Census Bureau's 2000 report, making it the leading country of birth. Next were China and the Philippines, with 1.5 million and 1.4 million respectively. They are followed by India, Vietnam, Cuba, South Korea, Canada, El Salvador and Germany.

In 2000, more than half the foreign born population lived in three states: California, New York and Texas, the Census Bureau found. The FAIR report said immigration was the greatest in the South, which saw its foreign born population grow by 90 percent, followed by 65 percent in the Midwest.

FAIR says the foreign-born population in the U.S. will swell to 45 million by 2010 if current immigration levels continue, "making this decade's wave of immigration the largest in U.S. history," the report said, adding California's foreign-born population alone is expected to swell to 12 million by decade's end.

Currently, the U.S. population is estimated at 291 million people, according to Census Bureau figures.

Though not all immigration is unhealthy for the country, FAIR says many regions of the U.S. are already struggling economically to provide basic services for people. Adding more numbers will simply make it more difficult – and expensive – to offer them, and that could lead to other troubles, the group claimed.

"What remains to be seen is if this country has the capacity to accommodate, and assimilate, an unending wave of mass immigration ¯ because failure to do so will result in a balkanized, fragmented, strife-torn and dysfunctional America," Stein said.

New Immigrant Initiatives

A number of surveys have shown a majority of Americans at odds with lawmakers who support high levels of immigration. Still, there are new immigrant-friendly initiatives being introduced and considered by Congress and the Bush administration.

For the first time since before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the administration has hinted it is considering a new work-related legalization program for millions of aliens currently residing in the U.S.

A week ago in Miami, Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge told an audience the U.S. will have to "come to grips" with such an initiative, if for nothing else because of the sheer number of illegal aliens who here now or planning to come in the future.

"The bottom line is, as a country we have to come to grips with the presence of 8 to 12 million illegals, afford them some kind of legal status some way, but also as a country decide what our immigration policy is and then enforce it," Ridge said.

Legislatively, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 16-3 in October to approve the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2003, which would provide college opportunities for U.S.-born children of illegal aliens residing in the country – a vote hailed by immigrant and Latino support groups.

"The future of thousands of Hispanic children depends on the passage of this bill," said a statement by the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights group.

In clarifying Ridge's statement to reporters a few days later, President Bush said he has opposed, and continues to oppose, any "blanket amnesty" for illegal aliens. But, he echoed the Homeland Security chief's support for a work-related legalization plan.

"We need to have an immigration policy that helps match any willing employer with any willing employee," Bush told reporters Dec. 15. "It makes sense that that policy go forward. And we're in the process of working that through now so I can make a recommendation to the Congress."

Bush will travel to the Summit of the Americas in Monterrey, Mexico, next month, where he will likely discuss the issue with other regional leaders.

Some lawmakers, however, call such work-related plans little more than an amnesty program, and are opposed them on those grounds. Instead, they are pushing for stricter overall enforcement of existing immigration laws as well as a different approach to creating the so-called "guest worker" programs.

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., head of the House Immigration Reform Caucus, says border legislation he introduced earlier this year aims to plug "gaping holes in both America’s porous borders and its dysfunctional guest worker programs."

Reform groups like FAIR maintain the first issue Washington should address is continued record-high immigration.

"Mass immigration has nothing whatsoever to do with the economic and social well-being of the United States or the American people," Stein said. "Immigration is entirely about the interests of the immigrants themselves, special interest ethnic groups, and business interests that want unlimited numbers of low-wage workers."


TOPICS: Extended News
KEYWORDS: aliens; demographics; immigration; oas; swamp
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A FReeper's Guide To Immigration Reform

~ Take the FReeper Immigration Reform Poll ~

1 posted on 01/12/2004 7:33:52 PM PST by Happy2BMe
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To: Happy2BMe; international american; Kay Soze; jpsb; Capitalist Eric; hershey; Sabertooth
Mass Immigration and Urban Swamp PING!
2 posted on 01/12/2004 7:38:12 PM PST by Happy2BMe (Liberty does not tolerate lawlessness and a borderless nation will not prevail.)
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To: Happy2BMe
Swamping? Oh no, not swamping! Anything but swamping!!
3 posted on 01/12/2004 7:38:36 PM PST by Texas_Dawg (Most of the FReepers opposed to illegal immigration are opposed to immigration/immigrants entirely.)
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To: Texas_Dawg
"Anything but swamping . ."

Will "SPRAWL" work?

Study: Immigration Biggest Contributor to Sprawl (87% of Growth Attributed to Immigrants)

4 posted on 01/12/2004 7:40:02 PM PST by Happy2BMe (Liberty does not tolerate lawlessness and a borderless nation will not prevail.)
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To: Texas_Dawg
Your tag line is your own narrow-minded hallucination. Most FReepers want limited immigration. Our country has never had long periods of unchecked immigration, and we as a sovereign nation have the right to put limits on who comes here and how many come here.
5 posted on 01/12/2004 7:42:00 PM PST by Henrietta
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To: Happy2BMe
Check this out.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1054219/posts#comment
6 posted on 01/12/2004 7:42:39 PM PST by Barnacle (A Human Shield against the onslaught of Leftist tripe.)
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To: Happy2BMe
Bring em on--the more the better.

We are an immigrant nation, melded into one.

The US ideals must come first. We have much work that needs to be done. The US ideals must come first.
7 posted on 01/12/2004 7:43:14 PM PST by jolie560
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To: Happy2BMe
Is there anyone here who supports global free trade with an exception for labor markets?

I've often wondered why the immigration issue isn't discussed as a free trade v. protectionism debate with respect to the labor market. Unless there's a good reason for treating labor markets differently, I'm inclined to think immigration restrictions are just another example of protectionism, but I'd like to hear more before I make up my mind.

Hence, the question: Why shouldn't one favor global free trade for labor, assuming one favors global free trade in other cases?
8 posted on 01/12/2004 7:46:46 PM PST by ConsistentLibertarian
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To: Happy2BMe
I still cannot believe that this is happening.. I knew that it was in the 'works' but didn't expect anything of this magnatude .. I thought as in the past, they would dole it out a bit of time.. so that 'we the people' would take it and say nothing.. but I never dreamed anything like this..

Seems the neocons who have co-oped the Party (that I'm registered as and have voted for)not only take us for granted but also believe we are idiots!

9 posted on 01/12/2004 7:51:01 PM PST by Zipporah (Write inTancredo in 2004)
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Comment #10 Removed by Moderator

To: Henrietta
He used to make war on the American worker,(as his tagline) but I guess illegal immigration has more panache these days.
11 posted on 01/12/2004 7:55:16 PM PST by hedgetrimmer
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To: ConsistentLibertarian
You can't have free market citizenship, and still have a country. That is what the illegal alien amnesty proposal suggests.
12 posted on 01/12/2004 7:56:23 PM PST by hedgetrimmer
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To: jolie560
Bring em on--the more the better.

I have no problem with CONTROLLED immigration, where the immigrants are screened, and have to make an effort to learn our culture and our language; and most importantly follow our laws.

However, this is presently not the case. We have illegal invaders who not only demand the right to vote in our elections, demand our welfare, free medical care, social security for life and low income housing; but then take jobs and prevent our children from working in jobs where they used to be able to earn summer wages. We have schools in which these invaders have demanded that we not only educate their children for free; but we had better learn to speak their language while we are at it.

Do you know what happens if you illegally go to Mexico? You go to jail. If you LEGALLY go to Mexico (or ANY other country on the face of the planet) you will NEVER be allowed to own land, or vote. If you apply, you MAY be able to get a work permit; but many countries deny Americans work permits under any condition (like India).

13 posted on 01/12/2004 7:57:39 PM PST by Hodar (With Rights, comes Responsibilities. Don't assume one, without assuming the other.)
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To: hedgetrimmer
Immigration and citizenship are different issues. Look at Switzerland for an example of how firmly the distinction can be drawn.

Even with a green card, an immigrant can't vote and isn't a citizen.
14 posted on 01/12/2004 7:58:15 PM PST by ConsistentLibertarian
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To: Baynative
Remember, we have an open border with Mexico, but you just try driving south without papers. They do not want Americans in Mexico to own property or to own any resource related business like oil. When Mr. Fox talks about open borders, he really only means one way. Norte!
15 posted on 01/12/2004 7:58:32 PM PST by hedgetrimmer
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To: ConsistentLibertarian
Immigrants become citizens sometimes. What they called the people flooding our country today at the Summit of the Americas is migrants. That means they come here to collect money from us, but never make an attachment to our country and the culture of the Constitution.

The Mexican government opens hometown clubs in every city the migrants concentrate in, to make sure they do not lose affliation with Mexico. In hometown clubs they make sure the remittances are sent to mexico. In hometown clubs they organize the migrants to be a significant political force AGAINST the citizen. They are effective too, look how many cities are trying to give illegal aliens the right to vote in school board elections. They also use their political clout to keep American tax dollars pouring into schools to educate their children, into hospitals and health clinics that cater only to them, and now with banks so they can get home loans to buy houses here.

The lowly citizen appears only to have the right to pay for all this stuff and suffer the environmental stress that the burgeoning population is creating.

Also in switzerland they give you a green card maybe, but you can bet they don't have 14 million illegal aliens floating around their country like we do.
16 posted on 01/12/2004 8:05:18 PM PST by hedgetrimmer
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To: Happy2BMe
Imagine - John Lennon The great globalist NWO thinker dreamer....seems his dream is getting help from a most surprising source

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky

Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no country
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
living life in peace

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one


17 posted on 01/12/2004 8:13:28 PM PST by joesnuffy (Moderate Islam Is For Dilettantes)
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Comment #18 Removed by Moderator

To: joesnuffy
John Lennon - a person that espired to marry Yoko. Nuff said 'about both'.
19 posted on 01/12/2004 8:18:30 PM PST by Digger
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To: Hodar; jolie560
"Bring em on--the more the better."

Mexico President to Mexico: MORE – WE’RE GOING FOR MORE!!

20 posted on 01/12/2004 8:20:32 PM PST by Happy2BMe (Liberty does not tolerate lawlessness and a borderless nation will not prevail.)
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