Posted on 09/27/2005 9:26:51 AM PDT by dts32041
The pace of illegal immigration to the United States has increased despite tighter security measures and it generally parallels the pace of economic growth and the availability of jobs, a report said Tuesday.
The report by the Pew Hispanic Center also found that the stronger security steps since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 have had the effect of reducing legal immigration.
Overall, immigration to the United States declined along with the economy after 2000, but the report says the number of people trying to get into the country is on the upswing again.
Immigration _ both legal and illegal _ topped 1.5 million people in 1999 and 2000, according to the report. The number of people entering the United States then plummeted to 1.1 million people by 2003, the same level it was at in 1992.
Immigration levels bounced back to 1.2 million in 2004, but the report cautioned that it is difficult to predict whether the recent upswing is part of a new trend.
"The extremely high (immigration) flows at the end of the past decade were not the norm, nor part of a long-term trend, but rather the peak of a momentary increase that lasted for only a few years," said the report, authored by demographer Jeffrey Passal and Roberto Suro, a former journalist who heads the Pew Hispanic Center. "Thus, even as the United States consistently experiences historically high rates of migration, flows are subject to considerable variation."
The report documents immigration levels from 1992 to 2004, generating estimates from a variety of Census data. The report acknowledges weaknesses in the data, especially when it comes to estimating annual changes in the number of illegal immigrants trying to enter the country.
The Pew Hispanic Center is a nonpartisan research organization supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
Immigration levels closely mirror economic conditions in the United States _ as the economy improves, immigration increases _ suggesting that the lure of jobs is a strong factor in attracting people to this country, the report says. The U.S. economy appears to be a stronger factor than economic conditions in the countries sending immigrants here, the report says.
Among the reports findings:
_Since 2001, the number of legal permanent residents entering the United States has declined from 578,000 to 455,000, while the number of illegal immigrants has increased from 549,000 to 562,000. Legal, temporary residents account for the remainder of people entering the country.
Declines in legal immigration "appear to reflect processing backlogs, security delays and other developments that followed the Sept. 11 attacks," the report says.
_Mexico accounted for about a third of all U.S. immigrants, a percentage that was steady from 1992 to 2004.
_More immigrants are shunning states with large immigrant communities, such as New York and California, and moving to states with smaller foreign-born populations, such as North Carolina and Iowa.
It really stinks. What did anyone expect to happen, especially when is became abundantly clear, that Bush is PRO-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION as the expense of the country? All the idiots in Washington had to do, was open their power-centric mouths and start talking about more pandering and REWARDS FOR ILLEGALS just for breaking our laws....
No Sh*t, Sherlock.
I wonder if more than a handful of Americans care. It's one of my top 3 most important issues facing my country, but I wonder how my fellow Americans feel about illegal immigration. My guess is that for most, it's not that big of a deal.
Actually, many people I talk to do care. They just don't think they can do anything about it. For the moment, they appear to be right.
susie
Me too. II is my "top" priority for our beautiful America. Bush has sold us out for a few of his rich buddies.
CRIMINAL INVADERS know they will be rewarded!
...daily these guys come here and somehow the number stays at 7 million. Mr vincent Fox, Claims 10% of his nation is now living here.
How many is that?????
Mr. Fox is a President of a nation that has exited to the north. A President of NOTHING.
And for the moment, they are right.
The Democratic and Republican Parties, each for their own reasons, will not clamp down effectively on illegal immigration.
And neither Democratic nor Republican voters are willing to stop voting for their party on this issue. So neither party has any real reason to change its policy. Lip service is given in order to placate the anxious ENOUGH to keep pulling the lever. Beyond that, nothing. Individuals who really care really are powerless to do anything under these circumstances. It's much like abortion. There are folks who think it's outright murder. But they keep on living in and being patriotic about a country that they believe is outright murdering children.
Immigration is an issue like that: serious, but not enough to change basic power alignments.
There's no reason we couldn't solve the problem by increasing and streamlining legal immigration and adopting zero tolerance (heavy fines on employers, no welfare, no licenses, etc) for illegal.
But you can't win politically with just an anti-immigrant proposal. It has to be pro-legal AND anti-illegal.
I care, it has become my TOP voting issue. I have watched California, the town I was raised in, and now the city I live in turn into a Mexico. There are places here where you would swear you are in Mexico except the roads are better. I will no longer vote for anyone who does not take an anti-illegal stance. I have had enough.
Seconded...
I have no link, but wasn't there a poll recently that showed ~74% of Americans disapproving of Criminal Aliens?
It's my top one, given that border control is an essential, foundational component of any credible national security policy.
All politicians say they are for legal immigration only when running for office. Thats the end of it.
That may be true but I don't consider myself as one of the sheep. I look beyond what they say and see how they have voted. Not one of my current reps in California will ever get my vote and anyone running for President had better take a stand on it, otherwise I will vote straight Constitution Party. I am tired of voting for the lesser of 2 evils, especially now when I am preparing to move from the state I was raised in because I can't stand it anymore. They can have California, my family is leaving.
No, really?
I am just as ticked off about illegals as you. I left CA a long time ago but illegals follow. They are all over this nation. I write elected officials all the time about illegals and get the same reply, "I support legal immigration".
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.