In researching this subject I have discovered that dependent upon the source, numbers and estimates vary wildly, generally dependent upon the source's point of view. So in the interest of neutrality I will simply rely upon the figures published by the Department of Homeland Security, numbers that are fairly close to those published by the Pew Hispanic Center.
In researching this subject a quote of Mark Twain's comes to mind:
Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.
Given no universally acceptable source, the DHS will have to do.
In 2007, according to the DHS 1,052,415 persons became legal permanent residents (LPR) of the United States, generally since 2000 the number of illegal residents arriving per year has been averaging around 1,380,000.
As of January 2006 the estimate of legal immigrants (LPRs) was 12.1 million
In 2006 roughly 33.7 million I-94 visitors were admitted (The I-94 form is required for entry into the United States for non-immigrants from all countries other than Canada and Mexico.) and an additional 141 million visitors (from Canada and Mexico) were admitted.
For figures on illegal immigration, go here:
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ill_pe_2006.pdf
In summary, 11.6 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the United States in 2006, of those, 6.6 million were from Mexico. The estimated margin of error, at a 90% confidence level, is plus or minus 150,000.
The unauthorized resident immigrant population is defined as all foreign-born non-citizens who are not legal residents. Unauthorized residents refer to foreign-born persons who entered the United States without inspection or were admitted temporarily and stayed past the date they were required to leave.
These people are coming from: Mexico 6,570,000, El Salvador 510,000, Guatemala 430,000, Philippines 280,000, Honduras 280,000, India 270,000, Korea 250,000, Brazil 210,000, China 190,000, Vietnam 160,000, Other Countries 2,410,000
And the top five locations they are living in are: California 2,830,000, Texas 1,640,000, Florida 980,000, Illinois 550,000, New York 540,00
Let us put these numbers into some perspective, the illegal immigrant population of the United States exceeds the populations of each of these countries:
Cuba, Greece, Chad, Portugal, Belgium, Czech Republic, Tunisia, Hungary, Dominican Republic,Rwanda, Belarus, Haiti, Bolivia, Guinea, Sweden, Benin, Somalia, Burundi, Azerbaijan, Austria, Serbia, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Israel, Honduras, El Salvador, Tajikistan, Togo, Papua New Guinea, Libya, Paraguay, Jordan, Sierra Leone, Laos
The number of illegal immigrants in the United States is more than double the population of any of these countries:
Nicaragua, Denmark, Slovakia, Kyrgyzstan, Finland, Turkmenistan, Eritrea, Norway, Singapore, Croatia, Costa Rica, Georgia, United Arab Emirates, Central African Republic, Ireland, New Zealand, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Bosnia and Herzegovina
The number of illegal immigrants in the United States is more than triple the population of any of these countries:
Moldova, Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Lithuania, Panama, Uruguay, Albania, Mauritania, Armenia
The number of illegal immigrants in the United States is more than four times the population of any of these countries:
Kuwait, Jamaica, Mongolia, Oman, Latvia, Kosovo, Namibia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Lesotho, Botswana, Gambia, Guinnea-Bissau, Estonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Gabon, Mauritius, East Timor, Swaziland
There are a further 80 countries on this list which is comprised of sovereign states and self-governing dependencies.
If you add the legal and illegal immigrant residents of the United States, you can add the following countries to the list:
Ghana, Taiwan, Yemen, Romania, Mozambique, Australia, Syria, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Angola, Chile, Netherlands, Kazakhstan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Niger, Malawi, Guatemala, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, Senegal, Mali, Zambia
The complete list of sovereign states and self-governing dependencies contains 222 countries. Of those countries 175 have lower populations than the number of legal and illegal immigrants in the US.
Considering just illegal immigrants, 149 countries have a lower population.
Consider that fact... we could absorb the entire population of any of those countries and the number would be less than the number of illegals we currently have.
The figures for population for sovereign states and self-governing dependencies comes from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population
Some of you may have a problem with the term illegal immigrant, may I point out that the definition of illegal is 'forbidden by law or statute' and/or 'contrary to or forbidden official rules, regulations, etc.' The term is not used to describe their motives or behavior outside of their immigration status... they are in this country contrary to law or statute, they did not follow the rules to get here.
Just a small dose of perspective
~Finntann~
Showing posts with label Illegal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Illegal. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
'Illiterate peasants' ruin modern democracy
Well the headline may be tongue in cheek, but Colorado state representative Douglas Bruce (R-El Paso County) is in the news again, this time for calling seasonal workers 'illiterate peasants'. The exact quote was "I would like to get the opportunity to say at the microphone why I don't think we need 5,000 more illiterate peasants in Colorado".
Needless to say, Rep. Bruce didn't get to say why he thought that way, as he was immediately cutoff by Chairwoman Kathleen Curry and immediately barred from speaking further on the bill. Reaction to Bruce's remarks was negative and no member of the Republican caucus defended Bruce or challenged Curry. The bill, which was expected to provoke a lengthy debate, was passed quickly with minimal opposition.
Read the whole story here: http://www.gazette.com/articles/workers_35510___article.html/bruce_rep.html
Not to defend Rep. Bruce's remarks, but one must question the validity of a participatory democracy in which people with unpopular viewpoints are silenced. I for one would like to know why Bruce thinks we don't need another 5,000 more illiterate peasants in Colorado.
House Bill 1325, by Rep. Marsha Looper, would create a five-year pilot program to expedite approval of temporary seasonal foreign workers to help harvest crops that have sometimes rotted in the fields because of a labor shortage. Given the nation's current crisis regarding illegal immigration, one must wonder how much incentive to leave the withholding of 20% of earnings would be. How much would you pay to stay in the United States? Under this bill the employer would pay for the visa, transportation, housing, wages, workers comp, meals...etc. At the end of the term when the employee returned to his home country he would get the 20% withheld, or if he did not return it would be turned over to the local law enforcement of the employer. Certainly sounds like a better deal than most of the "coyotes" (people-smugglers) are offering.
The actual legislation may be found here:
http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2008A/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/611BF939B7A81E72872573A80065E651?Open&file=1325_eng.pdf
Bruce is one of those people always at the center of controversy and has earned the distinction of being the first representative in the history of Colorado formally censured by the house. Bruce was censured, and justly so, for kicking a photographer taking his picture (praying) during the morning prayer session, the morning before he was sworn in (Bruce is a vacancy appointee).
Bruce is an opponent of attaching 'safety clauses' (declaring a bill "necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety") to change the date of enactment or to prohibit challenge to the legislation via petition. Bruce is the subject of much personal hostility and animosity from the other legislators and on one occasion an amendment submitted by him (on a safety clause) was voted down, only to be immediately passed when submitted by another member. One is forced to wonder what kind of games are being played in our statehouse.
While Rep. Bruce does not seem to get along well with others, at issue here is not the 'political correctness' of his comments, but of the people's right to be heard through their representative. In theory at least each member of the house represents approximately 71,000 people. 71,000 people silenced by the angry clap of the hammer in the hands of the Chairwoman.
I am in favor of many of the ideas put forth by Rep. Bruce, in many ways he seems a true Reagan Republican advocating limited government and limited taxation. He is the author of the Colorado TABOR (Taxpayers Bill of Rights) limiting growth in government to inflation and population growth unless approved by the taxpayers via ballot (The term for getting around it is called 'de-Brucing'). He was against mail ballot elections, opposed county interference in the incorporation of the town of Falcon (although he was also opposed to the incorporation of the town). He donates his state salary to charity, introduced a bill to mandate classroom education on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and he is opposed to 'resolutions' that have no legal or binding effect as being pointless and a waste of the taxpayers time and money.
Despite the fact the Rep. Bruce seems completely inept at the art of politics, I am opposed to the legislature gagging any member, no matter how controversial his remarks. The actions of the Colorado house in this incident are a disservice to the people of Colorado. Silencing any representative silences the people they represent, no matter how much we disagree with his choice of words and his methods, he has the right and represents the right of the people to be heard. I personally am opposed to the legislation, it is not the government's job to provide migrant workers to our agricultural industry at taxpayers expense, nor am I happy that the bill seems to have been passed with little or no debate either out of spite or embarrassment at Rep. Bruce. While not in the print article, it was mentioned on our evening news that Bruce was advised by the Republican leadership not to make this an immigration issue, may I inquire why? It certainly seems relevant to the discussion, at least in my humble opinion. While this may not seem a national issue, the importation of 5,000 foreign migrant works into our country certainly is.
Already people are trying to make this a 'race' issue, the fact that the majority of our illegal immigrants are from Latin America makes it a race issue. I no more want 5000 migrant workers from Britain, Canada, Ireland, or Romania then Mexico, Haiti, Brazil, Chad, or Taiwan. The US unemployment rate is 5.1%... out of our 300 million population that is some 15 million people out of work. The population of Colorado is some 4.7 million people and it's unemployment rate is 4.4%, that leaves 206,800 people unemployed in the state of Colorado. Let the state and agricultural employers provide them with transportation, housing, wages, workman's comp, meals...etc. You can't convince me that we can't come up with 5,000 able-bodied workers from the number quoted above, if you provide to them what the state proposes we provide to migrants along with a legal wage. Refuse, and it's a concept unfortunately becoming alien to American society... no work...no pay.
To paraphrase an oft misattributed quote:
Let them pick fruit!
~Finntann~
Needless to say, Rep. Bruce didn't get to say why he thought that way, as he was immediately cutoff by Chairwoman Kathleen Curry and immediately barred from speaking further on the bill. Reaction to Bruce's remarks was negative and no member of the Republican caucus defended Bruce or challenged Curry. The bill, which was expected to provoke a lengthy debate, was passed quickly with minimal opposition.
Read the whole story here: http://www.gazette.com/articles/workers_35510___article.html/bruce_rep.html
Not to defend Rep. Bruce's remarks, but one must question the validity of a participatory democracy in which people with unpopular viewpoints are silenced. I for one would like to know why Bruce thinks we don't need another 5,000 more illiterate peasants in Colorado.
House Bill 1325, by Rep. Marsha Looper, would create a five-year pilot program to expedite approval of temporary seasonal foreign workers to help harvest crops that have sometimes rotted in the fields because of a labor shortage. Given the nation's current crisis regarding illegal immigration, one must wonder how much incentive to leave the withholding of 20% of earnings would be. How much would you pay to stay in the United States? Under this bill the employer would pay for the visa, transportation, housing, wages, workers comp, meals...etc. At the end of the term when the employee returned to his home country he would get the 20% withheld, or if he did not return it would be turned over to the local law enforcement of the employer. Certainly sounds like a better deal than most of the "coyotes" (people-smugglers) are offering.
The actual legislation may be found here:
http://www.leg.state.co.us/CLICS/CLICS2008A/csl.nsf/fsbillcont3/611BF939B7A81E72872573A80065E651?Open&file=1325_eng.pdf
Bruce is one of those people always at the center of controversy and has earned the distinction of being the first representative in the history of Colorado formally censured by the house. Bruce was censured, and justly so, for kicking a photographer taking his picture (praying) during the morning prayer session, the morning before he was sworn in (Bruce is a vacancy appointee).
Bruce is an opponent of attaching 'safety clauses' (declaring a bill "necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health or safety") to change the date of enactment or to prohibit challenge to the legislation via petition. Bruce is the subject of much personal hostility and animosity from the other legislators and on one occasion an amendment submitted by him (on a safety clause) was voted down, only to be immediately passed when submitted by another member. One is forced to wonder what kind of games are being played in our statehouse.
While Rep. Bruce does not seem to get along well with others, at issue here is not the 'political correctness' of his comments, but of the people's right to be heard through their representative. In theory at least each member of the house represents approximately 71,000 people. 71,000 people silenced by the angry clap of the hammer in the hands of the Chairwoman.
I am in favor of many of the ideas put forth by Rep. Bruce, in many ways he seems a true Reagan Republican advocating limited government and limited taxation. He is the author of the Colorado TABOR (Taxpayers Bill of Rights) limiting growth in government to inflation and population growth unless approved by the taxpayers via ballot (The term for getting around it is called 'de-Brucing'). He was against mail ballot elections, opposed county interference in the incorporation of the town of Falcon (although he was also opposed to the incorporation of the town). He donates his state salary to charity, introduced a bill to mandate classroom education on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and he is opposed to 'resolutions' that have no legal or binding effect as being pointless and a waste of the taxpayers time and money.
Despite the fact the Rep. Bruce seems completely inept at the art of politics, I am opposed to the legislature gagging any member, no matter how controversial his remarks. The actions of the Colorado house in this incident are a disservice to the people of Colorado. Silencing any representative silences the people they represent, no matter how much we disagree with his choice of words and his methods, he has the right and represents the right of the people to be heard. I personally am opposed to the legislation, it is not the government's job to provide migrant workers to our agricultural industry at taxpayers expense, nor am I happy that the bill seems to have been passed with little or no debate either out of spite or embarrassment at Rep. Bruce. While not in the print article, it was mentioned on our evening news that Bruce was advised by the Republican leadership not to make this an immigration issue, may I inquire why? It certainly seems relevant to the discussion, at least in my humble opinion. While this may not seem a national issue, the importation of 5,000 foreign migrant works into our country certainly is.
Already people are trying to make this a 'race' issue, the fact that the majority of our illegal immigrants are from Latin America makes it a race issue. I no more want 5000 migrant workers from Britain, Canada, Ireland, or Romania then Mexico, Haiti, Brazil, Chad, or Taiwan. The US unemployment rate is 5.1%... out of our 300 million population that is some 15 million people out of work. The population of Colorado is some 4.7 million people and it's unemployment rate is 4.4%, that leaves 206,800 people unemployed in the state of Colorado. Let the state and agricultural employers provide them with transportation, housing, wages, workman's comp, meals...etc. You can't convince me that we can't come up with 5,000 able-bodied workers from the number quoted above, if you provide to them what the state proposes we provide to migrants along with a legal wage. Refuse, and it's a concept unfortunately becoming alien to American society... no work...no pay.
To paraphrase an oft misattributed quote:
Let them pick fruit!
~Finntann~
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