George Washington and the Coming Immigratiion Crisis

George Washington was give a vision [apparently from the Lord]. If so, it is a vision and not a prophecy. It is not etched in stone and the predicted outcome of the "third peril" can still be changed. Some commentators have interpreted this vision as an armed invasion of the United States; but I believe that we have far too many sophisticated weapons of mass destruction and satellites that can read a newspaper for this to have any real probability.

What, in my judgment, is far more likely is an unarmed invasion of the United States from both legal and illegal immigration which could turn bloody in future times. Keep in mind as you consider the Washington Vision that except for the American Indians, we are a nation of immigrants. But, as the population estimates compiled by the Center for Immigration Studies (http://cis.org) enclosed below demonstrate, at the present level of net migration of 1.25 million each year (450,000 of which is illegal), the population of the United States would increase by 100,000,000 from immigration alone by the year 2060...and 67% of the projected 167,000,000 increase would come from immigrants and their descendants. If not checked, these facts are what give credence to the details of the vision given to General Washington.

This study uses Census Bureau data to project how different levels of immigration impact population size and the aging of American society. The findings show that the current level of net immigration (1.25 million a year) will add 105 million to the nation’s population by 2060.

· Currently, 1.6 million legal and illegal immigrants settle in the country each year; 350,000 immigrants leave each year, resulting in net immigration of 1.25 million.

· If immigration continues at current levels, the nation’s population will increase from 301 million today to 468 million in 2060 — a 167 million (56 percent) increase. Immigrants plus their descendents will account for 105 million (63 percent) of the increase.

· The total projected growth of 167 million is equal to the combined populations of Great Britain, France, and Spain. The 105 million from immigration by itself is equal to 13 additional New York Cities.

· The above projections treat legal and illegal immigration together. But it is possible to think about them separately. At present, net illegal immigration is about 450,000 a year and net legal immigration is about 800,000 a year.

This Backgrounder provides a detailed picture of the number and socio-economic status of the nation’s immigrant or foreign-born population, both legal and illegal. The data was collected by the Census Bureau in March 2007.

· The nation’s immigrant population (legal and illegal) reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007.

· Immigrants account for one in eight U.S. residents, the highest level in 80 years. In 1970 it was one in 21; in 1980 it was one in 16; and in 1990 it was one in 13.

· Overall, nearly one in three immigrants is an illegal alien. Half of Mexican and Central American immigrants and one-third of South American immigrants are illegal.

· Since 2000, 10.3 million immigrants have arrived — the highest seven-year period of immigration in U.S. history. More than half of post-2000 arrivals (5.6 million) are estimated to be illegal aliens.

The recovery from the recession of 2001 has been described as “jobless.” In fact, an analysis of the latest Census Bureau data shows that between March of 2000 and March of 2004, the number of adults working actually increased, but all of the net change went to immigrant workers.

The economic downturn and the attacks of September 11th appear to have had no lasting impact on the pace of immigration. While there is some evidence that immigration may have slowed slightly in 2001, analysis of unpublished 2003 Census Bureau data by the Center for Immigration Studies shows that new legal and illegal immigration remains at record-setting levels. In fact, immigration appears to be largely unconnected to the job market in the United States. Although unemployment has increased significantly overall and among the foreign-born, the pace of legal and illegal immigration continues to match that of the late 1990s. The total foreign-born population reached 33.5 million in March of this year, a net increase of one million since 2002 and the highest number ever recorded in American history.

• Since 2000, 2.3 million new immigrant workers (legal and illegal) have arrived in the United States — almost exactly the same as the 2.2 million who arrived during the three years prior to 2000, despite dramatic change in economic conditions.

• At the state level, there seems to be no clear relationship between economic conditions and trends in immigration. Immigration levels have matched or exceeded the pace of the late 1990s in Texas, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, Arizona, Washington, North Carolina, Georgia, and New York — even as all these states experienced a significant increase in unemployment.

• Nationally, about half (1.2 million) of those who arrived in each three-year time period (1997-2000 and 2000-2003) are estimated to be illegal aliens. These figures are only for those in the workforce who were captured in Census Bureau data.

• Looking only at the net increase in employment, the number of foreign-born adults (legal and illegal) holding a job has grown 1.7 million since 2000, while among natives the number working fell by 800,000.

• Although the number of foreign-born adults holding a job has increased since 2000, the number unemployed also increased, by 600,000, and unemployment rose among the foreign born from 4.9 to 7.4 percent.

• It is the very rapid growth in the foreign-born population that makes it possible for the number of immigrants holding jobs and the number unemployed to increase at the same time.

The current economic slowdown represents a real-world test of the often-made argument that immigration is primarily driven by economic need in the United States. The fact that immigration has not slowed significantly since 2000, even though unemployment has increased significantly, indicates that immigration levels do not simply reflect demand for labor in this country. Rather, immigration is a complex process driven by a variety of factors, many of which have little to do with prevailing economic conditions in the United States. The idea that record levels of immigration in the 1990s were caused by a strong economy is a gross oversimplification and perhaps not even very helpful in understanding immigration. This does not mean that economic factors are entirely irrelevant. The higher standard of living of the United States in comparison to most sending countries certainly plays a central role in encouraging immigration. But a much higher standard of living exists even during a recession. For prospective immigrants, being unemployed or having to rely on the government or relatives in this country for support is still often better than life in the home country. Therefore, immigration is not a self-regulating process that rises and falls with the economy, nor should we expect it to be.

During the 1990s, the nation’s immigrant population grew by 11.3 million — faster than at any other time in our history. Using newly released data from the 2000 Census, this report examines the changing distribution of the nation’s immigrant population by country of origin at the state level. The findings show that in one sense, today’s immigration is more diverse than ever because people now arrive from every corner of the world. In another sense, however, diversity among the foreign born has actually declined significantly. One country — Mexico — and one region — Spanish-speaking Latin America — came to dominate U.S. immigration during the decade. The report also found that immigrants from some countries became more spread out in the 1990s, while the dispersion of others changed little.

• The dramatic growth in the nation’s immigrant population has been accompanied by a significant decline in diversity. In 1990, immigrants from the top sending country — Mexico — accounted for 22 percent of the total foreign born. By 2000, Mexican immigrants accounted for 30 percent of the total.

The number of temporary admissions has more than tripled since 1985, from 9.5 million to 32.8 million, and the number of non-immigrant visa (NIV) issuances has risen by 30 percent over the same period, even with the adoption of the Visa Waiver Program.

The federal government is struggling to deal with an unusual increase in applications from immigrants who want to become American citizens, resulting in waits of at least 16 months that are threatening to prevent immigrants from voting in November's presidential election.

New numbers released yesterday show a surge in citizenship applications last summer to be much more concentrated during the month of a fee hike by the federal government than previously thought.

The fees to apply for American citizenship rose to $675 from $400 starting July 30, 2007. In July 2007, applications jumped by more than 600% from the previous year. In that one month, 460,294 people applied to become citizens, according to numbers obtained from the federal government and released yesterday by the Migration Policy Institute, a pro-immigration think tank whose chairman is the Bishop of Brooklyn, Nicholas DiMarzio.

In December 2007, the last month for which data is available, 33,536 applied to become citizens and 62,956 applicants were approved. In December 1999, 28,413 applied and 65,794 were approved. Many of the new applicants are Hispanic, a voting block that has been shifting back toward the Democrats after a period in which Republicans had been building up more Hispanic support.