The Immigration Disaster
According to the Pew Research Center:
"There were 12.0 million immigrants from Mexico living in the United States in 2016, and fewer than half of them (45%) were in the country illegally, according to Pew Research Center estimates. Mexico is the country’s largest source of immigrants, making up 26.6% of all U.S. immigrants."
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/12/03/what-we-know-about-illegal-immigration-from-mexico/
That is the tally for immigrants (legal & illegal) from Mexico. Mexicans comprise about 55% of the "undocumented" immigrants. Another problem are those who overstay their visas - an estimated 44% of the illegal immigrant population. The problem of southern border mass migrations really began sometime in the mid 70's.
How did the United States find itself in the position of not being able to check on visas and a porous southern border?
Historically the United States had no federal immigration policy. Such matters were left to the states. The new nation had a need for immigrants to populate and cultivate the vast under populated continent. Immigration was welcome. Those who made the difficult trip also had reasons for coming. Waves of immigrants who came during these periods (such as the period of industrialization) were followed by a pause in immigration, which allowed for assimilation. By 1917 Congress had begun to establish standards for citizenship and in 1924 an Immigration Act was passed. The new law established a quota system that limited entry of new immigrants to 2 percent of the total number of people of each nationality in America as of the 1890 national census. One of the goals seems to have been maintaining the demographics of the United States:
" The new quota calculations included large numbers of people of British descent whose families had long resided in the United States. As a result, the percentage of visas available to individuals from the British Isles and Western Europe increased, but newer immigration from other areas like Southern and Eastern Europe was limited."
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/immigration-act
That put an end to the Italian wave and Russian Jews and specifically excluded people of Asian lineage. That obviously dosen't seem fair, but the law was passed in the era of World War I and the shadow of three consecutive waves of immigrants at the very time that America was experiencing the rise of labor unions. It wouldn't take long for that law to be overturned by the so-called "Lion of the Senate", one of the first modern progressives, none other than Ted Kennedy. On October 3, 1965 President Johnson signed the 1965 Immigration Act. The new law not only dispensed with the quotas, it would establish preferences that haunt our immigration system to this very day, such as "family reunification" (chain migration). The nation has seen a surge in immigration that dwarfs all the so called waves of immigrants that came before the 1965 law.
Proponent of the new law Ted Kennedy promised fellow Senators:
"First, our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually. Under the proposed bill, the present level of immigration remains substantially the same ... Secondly, the ethnic mix of this country will not be upset ... Contrary to the charges in some quarters, [the bill] will not inundate America with immigrants from any one country or area, or the most populated and deprived nations of Africa and Asia ... In the final analysis, the ethnic pattern of immigration under the proposed measure is not expected to change as sharply as the critics seem to think."
Incredible to look back on that statement!
By the mid 1980's we thought we had a problem with about 4 million illegal aliens living within the United States. President Reagan took measures he thought would fix the problem. In November of 1986 he was able to get the "Immigration Reform and Control Act" passed. The "deal" provided for a "one time" amnesty for the estimated 4 million illegals in return for securing the southern border. Thus we learned for the first time that granting amnesty is easy and immediate while border security is endlessly elusive.
Over the following decades other Presidents and both political parties have grappled with the ongoing problem. During the Clinton years, democrats showed some real concern, some say because the low wage immigrants were adversely effecting the dems minority constituents.
"Today, I want to share with you the core of what I will tell the President tomorrow during our meeting.
And the very first thing I will tell the President is something that I think will sound familiar. When the President asks me whether Congress can pass comprehensive immigration reform this Congress, I will smile and say "Mr. President, yes we can. All of the fundamental building blocks are in place to pass comprehensive immigration reform this session and, even possibly, later this year."
for several weeks, pundits, columnists, and reporters have almost all been saying that the prospects for comprehensive immigration reform look bleak. They say that immigration reform is an uphill battle, that there are not enough votes in Congress for reform, and that the situation is altogether dark.
First of all, I have no doubt that President Obama has an unyielding commitment to achieving comprehensive immigration reform. And I truly believe that his leadership will be the critical difference in getting us over the hump this time around, But to all of these naysayers, and to all of the people who are so desperately looking to their Government for leadership on this critically important issue, I say this it is darkest just before the dawn, and I promise you, we've been through the darkness." and a new day is dawning...... Schumer in 2009, when dems had a majority in the House and a super majority in the US Senate.
Since then things have gotten worse. Democrats no longer have that position. They have watched with glee as the border states have gone from red to purple and CA going from light blue to solid dark blue. Now some want to abolish ICE, grant amnesty to the DACA people and yes, some even want a wide open southern border. Border security is now a bargaining chip to get something else. Congressional Republicans aren't without blame on the issue either. The question is why some on the right have waffled on the issue. Is it lobbying efforts of big agriculture interests? or are they simply cowards that are afraid of the democrats racial slander?
California is now the model of where the nation is headed. All the old proposition proposals passed by the people in the 80's and 90's have been overturned by CA officials. Now the same Americans, who have not fled the states high taxes find themselves being out voted. One of every 4 Californians was born in another country. Politicians running for statewide office in CA make no pretense about who they are speaking to. Which brings us to another problem with this immigration onslaught - the welfare state, which America has become. The pressure of supporting oneself is what helped immigrants find their way. That is no longer the case.
The current President is opposed as a matter of principle by those on the left. At one point we might have had a deal involving border security for DACA amnesty, but a lone Judge derailed that by legitimizing an illegal act and thereby removed any incentive for democrats to deal. The dems now (as of Jan 3rd) control the House and just enough Senators to control legislation.
Thus there will be no wall, no border security and no end in sight.
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A conservative estimate indicates 300,000 new permanent illegal immigrants each year.
Keep it Civil
Race is off topic
Several Democrats of yesteryear had intelligent common sense and a realistic view of the world as it was and what government could accomplish. Now the Democrat party has been appropriated by the far left fringe and we can see the sad results on a daily basis. Be interesting to see what the first things on their agenda will be next week!
Rumor has it that a new "caravan" is on the way.
Reportedly, 15,000 are on their way from Honduras.
Another, bigger migrant caravan is set to leave from Honduras next month
One thing is for sure - they won't have any interest in fixing the immigration mess. Alas, as soon as Nancy gets back from her Hawaii vacation we will find out.
Not only that but blame the Border Patrol and the current Administration for the deaths of 2 children but ignore the number of children that died from similar issues when the previous administration was in power. Frankly, these people have all of their priorities bass-ackwards. They supposedly swear to uphold and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic, but are in reality enemies of the Constitution since they refuse to provide for the common defense while spending money on pet projects in their own districts and states that are really just there to get votes for bringing money back.
Ya, isn't that rich. What kind of parent drags a child through that terrain under those conditions? There are even pictures of migrants tossing infants over a wall and the dems want to blame the Border Patrol.
They supposedly swear to uphold and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic, but are in reality enemies of the Constitution since they refuse to provide for the common defense while spending money on pet projects in their own districts and states that are really just there to get votes for bringing money back.
They are only interested in getting elected and holding power. If that means switching the voters and destroying American democracy, so be it.