“No, legal immigration is the major reason why the demographics of this country have changed so rapidly. We bring in 1.2 million LEGAL IMMIGRANTS A YEAR, more than twice as many who are estimated to come in here illegally. 87% of the legal immigrants are minorities, as defined by the USG.”
Which is actually far less per capita than anytime before Wilson.
The problem isn’t immigration but welfare. No welfare, you attract the people who want to work hard and make money.
Immigrants account for one in 8 U.S. residents, the highest level in more than 80 years. In 1970 it was one in 21; in 1980 it was one in 16; and in 1990 it was one in 13. In a decade, it will be one in 7, the highest it has been in our history. And by 2050, one in 5 residents of the U.S. will be foreign-born.
There are approximately 40 million foreign born in this country. Immigration is driving about 75% of our population growth. The numbers are enormous. By 2050 one in three residents of this country will be Hispanic. We will be adding 130 million to our population in the next 40 years. The question is whether we can assimilate such numbers. The answer appears to be no.
Bureau of the Census: An Older and More Diverse Nation by Midcentury
"The non-Hispanic, single-race white population is projected to be only slightly larger in 2050 (203.3 million) than in 2008 (199.8 million). In fact, this group is projected to lose population in the 2030s and 2040s and comprise 46 percent of the total population in 2050, down from 66 percent in 2008."
The problem isn’t immigration but welfare. No welfare, you attract the people who want to work hard and make money.
The latest data show 22.1 million immigrants holding jobs in the U.S. with an estimated 8 million being illegal aliens. By increasing the supply of labor between 1980 and 2000, immigration reduced the average annual earnings of native-born men by an estimated $1,700 or roughly 4 percent. Among natives without a high school education, who roughly correspond to the poorest tenth of the workforce, the estimated impact was even larger, reducing their wages by 7.4 percent. The reduction in earnings occurs regardless of whether the immigrants are legal or illegal, permanent or temporary. It is the presence of additional workers that reduces wages, not their legal status.
The Bureau of Labor statistics for June 2011 show a national unemployment rate of 9.2 percent, including 16.2 percent for blacks and 11.6 percent for Hispanics. 23 million Americans are seeking full-time employment. Despite the economic downturn, the U.S. continues to bring in 125,000 new, legal foreign workers a month. This includes new permanent residents (Green Cards) and long-term temporary visas and others who are authorized to take a job. This makes no sense.
Milton Friedman said, “You cannot simultaneously have free immigration and a welfare state.” We have both.