The political class has kinda sorta stopped talking about illegal immigration. But that doesn't mean it isn't an issue important enough to talk about:
AMERICA is a country built by immigration, but nothing in its history compares to the rise in its Hispanic population. Changes to immigration law in the 1960s triggered a decades-long surge in arrivals, taking the Hispanic population from just 7m in 1970 to 57m today, a number that is set to double by mid-century. At that point one in four Americans will be of Latino descent.
One in four! We can argue the good and bad of that all day long, but it is a fact. And it will make this a very different country from the one with largely Europen roots.
This observation from the comments is interesting:
Of course none of that would matter if those immigrants were coming to the United States to start anew, embrace freedom, private enterprise and pursue the American dream. Unfortunately that’s not what’s happening. They are seeking to replicate the big government dysfunction and disasters of their home countries here in the United States. According to PEW, among the general population (which includes Hispanics) 48% of Americans want smaller government and 41% want bigger government. Among Hispanics only 19% want smaller government while 75% want bigger government and more spending.
If the people who come here do it for the right reason -- because they embrace American values -- it doesn't matter where they come from and we wouldn't need quotas. But since we don't even have a government right now that embraces American values, that might get a little tricky.
