Where Are We Headed?

The Center for Immigration Studies just issued a report with some stunning data. The subject is the growth of the adult immigrant population since 1990.They decided to focus on the adult population (age 18+) because adults have the greatest impact on the workforce.

There is one finding that is eye-popping. Between 1990 and 2014, one in eight (roughly 12.5%) of the entire U.S. population was living in a county that had at least 20 percent of its adult population comprised of immigrants – both legal and illegal. By 2014, that one-eighth share comprised of immigrants had zoomed to nearly one in three (approaching 33%) adults.

That kind of growth would be remarkable if it happened in a population sparsely populated with immigrants, but in 1990 the United States already had an immigrant population of nearly 20 million.

The trend that those data point to should make us all stop and ask ourselves and our policymakers “Where are we heading, and why?

Center for Immigration Studiesimmigration policypopulation growthU.S. population
Jack Martin: Jack, who joined FAIR’s National Board of Advisors in 2017, is a retired U.S. diplomat with consular experience. He has testified before the U.S. Congress, U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform and has authored studies of immigration issues. His national and international print, TV, and talk radio experience is extensive (including in Spanish).