Census Report: Illegal Immigration Dropping

The US Census is confirming what other reports have already been showing. From Politico:

New census data released Thursday affirm a clear and sustained drop in illegal immigration, ending more than a decade of increases.              

The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. dropped to an estimated 11.1 million last year from a peak of 12 million in 2007, part of an overall waning of Hispanic immigration. For the first time since 1910, Hispanic immigration last year was topped by immigrants from Asia.    

Demographers say illegal Hispanic immigration - 80 percent of all illegal immigration comes from Mexico and Latin America - isn't likely to approach its mid-2000 peak again, due in part to a weakened U.S. economy and stronger enforcement but also a graying of the Mexican population.

The finding suggests an uphill battle for the Republicans, who passed legislation in the House last week that would extend citizenship to a limited pool of foreign students with advanced degrees but who are sharply divided on whether to pursue broader immigration measures.     

Interestingly, new reports on the falling American birth rate and its long term economic implications are also circulating. Which just puts an additional onus on those opposing immigration to the US.

Comments

[Jack]

The author needs to do some homework. The Census Bureau projects an increasing population even with zero net immigration. Thus, the onus should be on the immigrationists to show why it is in the national interest for the population to be increased even more through immigration. If you value the environment and have sustainability as a goal for the nation, that is an impossible case to make and even higher immigration than we already have would be counterproductive.

"more than enough resources for all of its citizens"

The U.S. ranks near the top of countries in ecological DEFICIT. Needless to say, doubling or tripling the population is not going to put us into surplus. In light of environmental challenges like climate change, it is myopic to obsess over economic statistics such as "future consumer spending".

"A few more babies would be good for business."

How simplistic can you get?