Bonnie Erbe: Immigration Policy Needs to Reflect Environment, Resource Concerns
“What does immigration reform have to do with water shortages? Plenty. The vast majority of U.S. population growth since the 1970s has been fueled by massive legal and illegal immigration and the children of new immigrants. The fertility rate of U.S.-born American women has been at replacement level since that time. There’s irrefutable evidence that the U.S. is on the verge of a major water shortage. The larger our population, the more we stress available water resources,”
says Bonnie Erbe.”Wouldn’t it be easier to have a national conversation about the environmental impact of mass immigration and to make a rational decision about the number of immigrants we might comfortably accommodate? That, by the way, is one more topic that won’t be mentioned in the immigration debate this summer.”
Amnesty Bill Faces Rocky Path in Senate
“Success is rare enough in the Senate that a taste of it can make even the most seasoned legislators a little cocky. The week after supporters of immigration reform steered their bipartisan bill through the Senate Judiciary Committee, Majority Leader Harry Reid suggested the package would sail through the Senate when it hits the floor next month. ‘It’s certainly going to pass the Senate,’ he said. ‘The Republicans can no longer stop this.’ Rounding up a filibuster-proof 60 votes may prove tougher than Reid anticipates; allies say they’re not there yet. But even if Senate Republicans can’t scupper the bill, their counterparts in the GOP-controlled House can. And they won’t go gently,”
says Time Magazine.
Immigration Plus Multiculturalism Means Big Problems
“The rioters in Sweden were Muslim and certainly the ideology of Islam was part of the chaos, but Sweden’s multicultural policy choices literally added fuel to the fire—an open door policy that led to a fractionalized Muslim community that sees itself as separate from the nation in which they reside,”
says Lee Stranahan at Brietbart.com.”For years here in the United States, the forces of the institutional left have been pushing for not only immigration amnesty but also a radical anti-assimiliationist, multicultural agenda. These groups, including MALDEF and the National Council of La Raza, are the same ones that had major influence on the Gang of Eight legislation snaking its way through Congress right now.The battle over comprehensive immigration reform is not actually about being pro- or anti-immigration. Despite the rhetoric, nobody is trying to stop all immigration. The real point of contention is about the path to citizenship plan, but the wider—and undiscussed—issue is about how we treat new immigrants and their relationship to the United States.”
Poll: Majority Oppose Amnesty, Think Amnesty Bill Will Fall
“Despite the Senate ‘gang of eight’s” fast-moving immigration bill – which is slated to hit the Senate floor in June – an overwhelming majority of Americans are doubtful Congress can get the job done. According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Friday, more than 70 percent of Americans – 78 percent of Republicans, 61 percent of Democrats – don’t believe the country will get the immigration overhaul lawmakers have promised,”
US News says.”The poll also found that despite many senate Republicans and Democrats agreeing to give the 11 million immigrants who entered the country illegally a shot at citizenship, only 54 percent believe that is the right approach. More than 10 percent believe that the immigrants who crossed the border illegally should be allowed to stay and become legal residents, but not citizens. And a surprising 30 percent support deporting immigrants back to their countries of origin.”
George W. Bush Endorses Amnesty Effort
“When President George W. Bush made a push for immigration reform in 2007, he was fiercely opposed by many on the right, and his proposal ultimately went down to defeat. Some on the right are now seizing on comments made by Bush during an interview with The Huffington Post, published Thursday, to try to fuel opposition to the current bill,”
the Huffington Post says.”Bush made clear in the interview at his Texas ranch, however, that he remains in favor of a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, which is one of the thorniest issues in the reform push for some on the right, along with the border security component. Bush also said fixing the immigration system was the right thing to do because the current system is ‘inhumane.’”