One in eight people living in the USA is an immigrant
This nation of immigrants has never seen so many people immigrate here during any 7-year period as have come to the U.S. since 2000, according to a new study reported by the New York Times. And more than half of those coming during that period are illegal.
One in eight people living in the U.S. is an immigrant, the survey found, for a total of 37.9 million people - the highest level since the 1920s.
The Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates reduced immigration, put the study together from census data. These are folks with an ax to grind, sure, but the Times notes that even those who doubt some of the study’s conclusions don’t question its methods of data analysis.
Almost 30 percent of all immigrants and their children lack health insurance, compared with 13 percent of native-born Americans, the study finds. Immigrant families account for almost three-quarters of the increase in the uninsured over the past 15 years.
And about 31 percent of immigrants over 25 years old, both legal and illegal, have not completed high school, compared to 8.4 percent of American citizens, the study finds.
USA Today also carries the story, but goes with a headline closer to the actual thrust of the study: “Center says immigrants’ lack of education hurts country.”
Both stories find some critics to point out that the study doesn’t take into account the contributions immigrants make, or the progress in education and income their families make once they’ve been here for a several generations.
Nevertheless, the study provides some ammunition to people on both sides of the immigration fight just by showing how deeply buried in the sand lawmakers’ heads have been on this issue to date. The question is, when will the American public stop tolerating the exchange of zingers about who has a “sanctuary city” or a “sanctuary mansion” as a stand-in for an actual discussion about a very difficult issue?
Source: CBS News
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[...] One in eight people living in the USA is an immigrantBy Jim StroudAlmost 30 percent of all immigrants and their children lack health insurance, compared with 13 percent of native-born Americans, the study finds. Immigrant families account for almost three-quarters of the increase in the uninsured over …Jim Stroud 2.0 - http://jimstroud.com [...]