Immigration History

Chart 2 below shows just how far present immigration departs from tradition immigration to the US. The chart depicts five-year immigration averages during our nation’s history. Note that today immigration is twice the level of the Great Wave of immigration at the beginning of the 20th century and about eight times the historic average of 250,000 annually. Note also that illegal immigration is a recent phenomena.

This is due to three main reasons. First, the 1965 Immigration Act permitted legal immigrants to petition to bring not only their spouse and children, but their parent and brothers and sisters as well. Then they petition for their in-laws, siblings and children, as well. In short since all persons in a given country are related, ultimately everyone becomes eligible for immigration.

Second, due to a misinterpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, (which was intended to grant automatic citizenship to children of slaves) children of anyone, including illegals immigrants, born in the US are automatically US citizens. In recent years hundreds of thousand of aliens illegally enter the US to have their babies born here.

Finally. In the last 30 years there has been a complete breakdown of the federal government's efforts to enforce immigration laws, especially sanctions on employers of illegals. Workplace raids have all but been abandoned and in those rare instances where an employer has been found guilty of hiring illegals he has received no more than a slap on the wrist. The means are in place to enforce employer sanctions and end the demand for illegals - all that is lacking is the will.