I do know. The number of legal immigrants has slowly increased to about 1.2 million now. Because of the lack of caps on various categories of immigration, the number will continue to gradually rise. The Jordan Commission in the 1990s recommended an intake of about 300,000 annually.
These numbers are increasing our population growth to about .89% a year, the highest annual population growth rate in the developed world. By 2050, we will be a nation of half a billion people, which will have an impact on such things as infrastructure, energy needs, social welfare systems, etc. And because of chain migration, we will have a less diverse population. More than 60% of all legal immigrants are Hispanic. Combine that with the 500,000 illegal immigrants annually, which are overwhelmingly Hispanic and you have the explanation as to why by 2050 29% of the residents of the US will be Hispanic, up from the 1% in 1965. Non-Hispanic whites will be 47% of the population by 2050, down from 89% in 1965.
And the legal immigrants we are importing are largely uneducated and will be a net drain on society. I suggest you take a look at the following to get an understanding of the costs of legal immigration.
Immigrants in the United States, 2007 A Profile of America’s Foreign-Born Population
But with 14 - 20 million illegals here now that have built up in just over twenty years, then the insane amnesty proposals that would allow them to bring in relatives, that twenty year accumulation of illegals could mushroom to 30 - 60 million after daisy chain effects. No one knows for sure.
The number is closer to 66 million legal immigrants over a 20 year period assuming there are only 12 million illegals here based on Robert Rector's analysis of the 2006 Senate amnesty bill, which was actually more restrictive than the McCain-Kennedy bill because those eligible for amnesty had to be here for at least two years unlike McCain-Kennedy, which allowed those who here since December 31, 2006 to qualify for legalization of status.
Please note that chain migration applies to Legal immigrants now, not just those who are granted amnesty.
And, legal immigration remained at reasonable levels until the GHWB administration raised it to about 800,000, then more increases since. It was 500,00 or less most of the years since 1965, which wasn’t such a ridiculous number.
The numbers have increased each year for several reasons. First, there have been a number of mini-amnesties since 1986. It was the 1990 Immigration Act. that raised the annual ceiling from 270,000 to 700,000 for 1992-94 and 675,000 afterwards (including 480,000 family-sponsored, 140,000 employment-based, and 55,000 "diversity" immigrants) and allowed an unlimited number of visas for immediate relatives –children, parents and spouses – of US citizens, not counted under the cap.
The numbers are increaseing each year because there are categories that don't have caps, e.g., immediate family reunification. And we have birthright citizenship that adds 400,000 legal citizens each year. Once these children reach 21, they can sponsor family members to enter.
The seem about equally out of control over the past twenty years.
It has been out of control a lot longer than that. The 1965 law changed the demographics of this country forever and will continue to do so, even without an amnesty. Demography is destiny.
“It has been out of control a lot longer than that. The 1965 law changed the demographics of this country forever and will continue to do so, even without an amnesty. Demography is destiny.”
But the legal and illegal numbers had never been so large as since the Simpson-Mazzoli amnesty. Immigration was not so out of control from 1965 - 1987. They expected about 1.5 million to request amnesty under S-M and got about twice as many. The 10 million illegals estimate used recently is now several years old. If another amnesty were granted, the number applying would probably be closer to 20 million than 10 million.
I still believe another amnesty, plus the chain migration those millions would take advantage of to bring in more, would result in those who came here illegally and were amnestied, would result in a greater number of entrants than the legal entrants for the same 20 or so year period.
But whichever is greater, it is out-of-control and it is difficult to see how anyone would support this insanity unless they deliberately wanted to see this nation’s character changed forever, or they are making handsome profits off the new immigrants, legal and illegal, and their vision doesn’t extend beyond their next P&L statement.
Many Republicans want cheap labor, and Dems. (and deluded Republicans) expect cheap votes. A deadly mixture. And there are some number of North American Union types who want to see all these regional trading blocs become like one nation.