Immigrantion

Prior to 1960 most immigrants to the US came from Europe. The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 change all of that. Over the next 50 years 60 million immigrants arrived and the composition changed. Hispanics grew from 4% to 18% of the population and Asians grew from 1% to 6%. During this time about 12 million came across the border illegally. Between 1965 and 2015, new immigrants, their children and their grandchildren accounted for 55% of U.S. population growth. Over these years the government repeatedly proposed changes to the immigration rules but there still remains a problem. The problem is exacerbated by politics. Trump reversed some of what Obama did and now Biden is changing the Trump policies. For years republicans have said they would offer a path to citizenship but only after the border was secured. The democrats say they will secure the border after the path to citizenship is created. Both parties gain from illegals. Businesses get a fresh supply of cheap labor and many will become voters in the future. Neither of these help the average working American who seems to be lost in the shuffle. 800,000 crossed in 2019 and that figure declined to 400,000 in 2020. The drop occurred because people were forced to remain in Mexico awaiting their day in court and the Mexican government began to stop immigrants at their southern border. The caravans from Central America stopped. The Biden proposals have reignited the reasons for crossing and the results show new problems at the border. Illegal crossings averaged 40,000 per month during 2020 before the election but increased after that to 78,000 in January 2021. February totals are high but include 9,000 unaccompanied minors which pose an added burden to the border agents.