The legal and illegal population of
foreign-born immigrants living in America will break a 100-year-old record in
just six years — and will continue to smash records for the rest of the
century, according to a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
Already 13.5 percent of the U.S.
population, immigrants will surge to 15 percent in 2023, according to Steven Camarota, the director of research
for the Center for Immigration Studies.
At a conference to discuss the impact
of immigration on public schools, he said "the share
will hit 15 percent in just six years and that will surpass the all time high
in the United States reached in 1890.
And if unchecked, he added, "the share
is projected to increase throughout much of this century."
The surge comes as President Trump is
planning to cut the number of illegal immigrants in the country and crossing
the border, but so far hasn't
indicated if he will brake the larger number of legal immigrants entering the
U.S.
It also takes place with a nation divided
over what it expects of immigrants, with liberals eager for them to embrace
their own heritage and others hopeful for immigrants assimilate into America.
The CIS panel discussion focused on
assimilation and a report from Camarota showing how huge concentrations of immigrant students have
overtaken the population of native born American school children in many urban
and suburban areas.
"In a very real sense, America is headed into unchartered territory
on immigration, the share who are immigrants who are foreign
born will be at a level we have never seen," he said.
When it comes to what the nation expects of
its immigrants, Camarota cited those who believe in multiculturalism.
"The idea is that there is no American
culture. Immigrants instead should retain their identity and America should
accommodate the new arrivals rather than the new arrivals largely accommodating
themselves to American culture," he said.
He noted that many Americans have a
"robust idea of assimilation," and even polls show that immigrants
should adopt American culture.
But in that divide, overshadowed by political
correctness, he concluded, "There no longer exists a clear understanding
of what we want from immigrants."
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's
"Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.comhttp://www.washingtonexaminer.com/expert-immigrants-urged-to-retain-their-culture-not-embrace-america/article/2618657
