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FRANK ROCHE.ORG |
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Pledge of Allegiance: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Oath of Citizenship: "I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen: that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the Unites States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed forces of the United States when required by law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God. In acknowledgment whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature."
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IMMIGRATION
America's current immigration policy is a critical issue facing Americans today. As the US begins the 21st. century, Americans find themselves 45 years into a massive social experiment that began with the passage of the Immigration Reform Act of 1965 (IMMACT65). No nation in history has undertaken/is undertaking such a rapid transformation of ethnicity and culture as we are (1). This transformation is the result of our nation's immigration policy dating back to the IMMACT65. According to the most recent Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the Census Bureau over 37 million immigrants now live in the U.S.. This is the largest number ever recorded in the nation's history, and represents a 45% increase since 1990. Immigrants represent close to 15% of the population, the highest percentage since 1920. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates 18-20 million legal immigrants have entered the U.S. from 1990 to 2007. Over 4 million people are currently on waiting lists to gain permanent entry into the U.S.. In 2007, nearly 1.2 million people were admitted to the U.S. as legal permanent residents. Most notable in the data released from the Census Bureau are the significant increases in both the Hispanic and Asian populations resulting from U.S. immigration policy as it has been practiced since 1965. From 1990 to 2007, the Hispanic population has grown 42% to 35 million people (dominated by Mexico). Over that same period, the Asian and Pacific Islander population has grown 45% to 13.5 million people (dominated by China). Given these kinds of numbers it is not surprising the 2000 Census revealed a population increase of almost 14% since 1990, to 281 million people. As of April 2007, the US population stands at approximately 302 million people. A whopping seven percent increase in just seven years. Immigrants who have arrived since 1990, and their offspring, account for approximately 66% of the population increase over the last 15 years. According the Center for Immigration Studies, "Immigration has become the determinate factor in U.S. population growth. The arrival of over 3 million legal and illegal immigrants, coupled with 1.5 million births to immigrant women over the last two years, accounts for nearly 90 percent of U.S. population growth since the 2000 census." These type of population numbers and growth rates are only surpassed by India and China. One only need to look as far as the parameters used by the Census Bureau in the maintenance of their Population Clock to get a full appreciation of the massive and unabated influx of immigrants into this country. The Census Bureau assumes "one net international migrant" enters the country every 26 seconds. Doing some quick math reveals an estimate of 3,323 immigrants entering the US every day. Nearly 70 percent of them from Mexico. Depending on where you live, you may already have a sense of this dramatic influx of people. Just six states attract over 70% of all legal immigrants. [California (32%), New York (14%), Texas (10%), Florida (9%), Illinois (5%), and New Jersey (5%). Other states that draw large numbers of immigrants include: Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Washington.] Four countries/regions account for over 80% of all immigrants that come to the U.S. [Mexico (30%), Asia (28%, Mainland China, the Philippines, India, and Vietnam), Eastern Europe (15%, Ukraine and Russia), Caribbean (11%). Other countries/regions that send large numbers of immigrants include: Canada, Central and South America, and Africa.] As significant is the number of legal immigrants entering the country, when you include those that have entered the US illegally, the numbers increase significantly. Illegal immigrants are those persons that enter the county without inspection at some point of entry, or those persons that entered the country legally but overstayed their visas. The DHS indicates that 65% of illegal immigrants entered the country by sneaking across the border, and 35% have overstayed their short term visa. In the latest estimate available, the DHS indicates by March 2007 approximately 16 million illegal immigrants lived in the U.S.. They estimate nearly 600,000 illegal immigrants enter the country each year. The same six states mentioned above have also receive 93% of all illegal immigrants. [California (47%), Texas (17%), New York (12.5%), Illinois (8%), and New Jersey (4%). The other states that draw large numbers of illegal immigrants are: Arizona, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington.] Six countries/regions account for over 95% of all illegal immigrants entering the U.S. [Mexico (73%), Central America (13%, Caribbean (5%), Canada (4%), China (4%), Philippines (3%).] Regardless of your personal position on immigration, even a brief review of U.S. immigration history reveals the stark differences between pre-1965 and post-1965 immigration policy. Immigration reform in the 1960's, and the coincident rise in multiculturalism and political correctness are the main features of these differences. The definitive turn in U.S. immigration policy occurred with the signing into law of The Immigration Act of 1965 (IMMACT65. The act was presented as an amendment to the 1952 McCarran-Walter Act which had set quotas for Europeans at 150,000 per year, Asians at 2,990 per year and Africans at 1,400 per year. Signed into law in 1968, IMMACT65 brought two major changes in U.S. immigration policy. The first was the abolition of the preference for western hemisphere immigrants which imposed a new, much lower ceiling on European immigration. At the same time it significantly expanded the number of visas allocated to those countries/regions "unfairly left out" over the prior 200 years, including Latin American, Asia, and Africa. The second was ending the national origin preferences, which had been the basis for U.S. immigration policy since 1864, in favor of a family reunification based preference system. This act has truly turned out to be an inflection point for our country in terms of its ethnic and cultural identity. However, in the debates at the time nothing like what we are faced with presently was envisioned by the bill's supporters. The White House, Congressional majority leaders, and other supporters were faced with dire predictions of the demographic changes to come as a result of such changes in immigration policy. But, they said the country would benefit by bringing in educated and skilled workers to supplement labor needs in sectors of the economy that were demonstrating above average growth. Supporters vehemently denied that proposed changes would do any harm to the ethnic and cultural makeup of the U.S. as it was then.
Democrats and other supporters of IMMACT65 were shown to be completely wrong on all counts. They had predicted that immigration from Western Europe would continue as it had with only a small increase in Latin American and Asian immigration. Since the above testimony, Asian legal immigration 1968 thru 2007 is nearly 10 million persons. Legal Asian immigration now accounts for close to 30% of the total, second only to legal immigration from Mexico. Today, as it has been since 1965, current U.S. immigration policy is based on the concept of family reunification. There are seven preferences for entry into the country as a permanent resident.
Preference numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 fall under the category of family reunification. In 2007 more than 78% of legal immigrants came in under the family reunification umbrella. Less than 10% of all legal immigrants in 2007, fewer than 175,000 persons, were allowed in based on preference numbers 6 and 7, the skills and ability preferences. There is a numerical cap on the number of permanent visas issued each year, lowered in 1996 to 675,000 from 800,000. However, there are immigrants who are not subject to the numerical cap, including; Cubans, Haitians, Ameriasians, refugees, asylees, and State Department "lottery" winners. Additionally, there are country quotas established in an effort to be "diverse" and "fair." Although, the quotas have not been adhered to in many years, as evidenced by Mexico dominating immigration flows year after year. Caps or not, average yearly legal immigration into the U.S. during the 1990's was close to 900,000. In 2000 almost 7 million people applied for 55,000 visas offered through a diversity lottery program run by the State Department. And the 9/11 attacks have done nothing to slow the pace. Since 2000, over 8 million legal and illegal immigrants have entered America. It is time for America to rethink her immigration policy as is currently practiced. Reform is necessary, and there are lots of areas to be addressed. American's need to get involved on this issue, and there are just a few simple things that can be done to help alleviate the problems associated with 40 years of uninterrupted immigration into America. The two very best things you can do if you are concerned about current US immigration policy are: get properly informed and get active. Getting properly informed is not difficult. It's just a matter of doing a lot of reading. However, I strongly caution against relying solely on the "mainstream" media for your information about immigration issues. The very best objective sources of information on immigration are found on the internet. You can start right here with www.frankroche.org, but you must include www.cis.org. Moreover, access to the government data which any and all discussion about immigration rests, is easily accessible via the internet. The getting active part requires a bit more effort, and starts with the obligation and responsibility of voting. After that, it's telephoning, writing, faxing, and/or emailing your elected officials. The loudest voices get heard in Washington, so don't be shy.
GETTING PROPERLY INFORMED
DATA SOURCES CONTACT THE PRESIDENT, CONGRESS, AND GOVERNORS
Together we can get immigration right such that it is once again a net benefit for American's.
___________________________________________ Notes: 1. Peter Brimelow, Alien Nation, (Random House, 1995). 2. USA Today, September 7, 1999.
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