Averting an Immigration Time Bomb

by YEH LING-LING
(published in the San Francisco Chronicle, March 7, 1997)
 
 
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The heated discussions arising from affirmative action, welfare reform, public schools funding and traffic congestion make it clear that high levels of immigration have exacerbated many of America's problems. Instead of addressing legal immigration with vision and sensitivity, many politicians and others continue to defend the status quo on indefensible grounds.
 
Immigration advocates often label supporters of immigration reduction as 'racists' in an effort to end all discussion of the issue. Yet, many residents in our neighboring states deeply resent the recent influx of U.S.-born white Californians. Are those reactions 'racist' or 'nativist'?
 
According to a CNN/USA Today poll, 25 percent of immigrants themselves favor freezing all immigration for five years. The majority of immigrants in New York City also told the Empire State Survey that immigration in the past 10 years has made the city a worse place to live. Are those immigrants 'racists' or 'xenophobic'?
 
The majority of Americans supports a five-year moratorium on all immigration, according to a 1996 Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. However, this country continues to receive nearly 1 million legal immigrants annually. To disregard public sentiment is similar to forcing more broccoli down Johnny's throat despite his protest. Whether Johnny simply dislikes broccoli or is truly saturated with food, ignoring his pleas can only make things worse.
 
Some liberals advocate mass immigration as a means to 'redistribute wealth' among nations. There are 5.8 billion people on Earth now, possibly 10 billion by 2050. Most would wish to live in the United States. Can a fair redistribution of wealth ensure a quality life to potentially billions of U.S. residents? Furthermore, a study by Cuban-born Harvard Economics Professor George Borjas shows that immigration results in wealth shifting from U.S. workers to employers. Should we help corporate America, the most powerful immigration lobby, exploit our workers?
 
Many Americans fight development to protect open space; others feel frustrated by daily traffic congestion. However, 'growth management' without simultaneously stabilizing population in e United States will only provide temporary relief for the problems, at best. (If we reduce consumption/congestion by half but allow population to double, what progress has been achieved?)
 
The poverty rate of immigrants arriving since 1989 approaches 40 percent, more than double that of the native born. Yet, many advocates for our poor pressure our governments for more tax dollars while fighting immigration reductions. America now has more than $5 trillion in national debt. Is piling trillions of dollars of debt upon our children's backs to finance growing demands for services a responsible solution?
 
Miami has been cited by immigration advocates as an example of how 'immigrants revitalize our neighborhoods.' It now faces bankruptcy. States heavily impacted by immigration simply cannot balance their budgets. Cutting corporate welfare and government waste alone will not cure all our fiscal woes. should we wait for the 'Los Angelization' of America to wake up?
 
According to Census Bureau projections, if current demographic trends continue, the United states could grow from today's 266 million people to 519 million by 2050 -- within the lifetimes of today's teenagers. (India had 494 million people in 1966.) Most of this increase will result from immigration since 1991. Is this the kind of America we want for our children?
 
Many immigrants are assets to this country, but the current rate of immigration had adversely impacted Americans and existing legal immigrants. As responsible parents want to limit their family sizes, the U.S. should pass effective laws that help stabilize population in the United States?
 
In about 1925, Congress enacted legislation that effectively lowered legal immigration from close to 1 million a year to an average 200,000 for several decades. Congress should now pass a new law capping all legal immigration at 100,000 a year for five years. Taking away all employment and benefit magnets and concurrently deporting illegals would drastically cut illegal immigration.
 
Each nation has the duty to provide for its own citizens. To expect the United States to provide for the world is unrealistic, if not arrogant. Immigration is a time bomb that must be addressed, and the time to act is now.
 

 
This article was part of Ms. Yeh's work when she was founder of Diversity Coalition for an Immigration Moratorium, a project of Carrying Capacity Network (phone: 202-296-4548; email: ccn@us.net).
 

 
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