The border fence along the border with Mexico has been a contentious issue. Many environmental organizations have opposed barriers because of concerns about the effect on wildlife habitats, but has any acknowledged the widespread destruction caused by illegal immigration coming through Mexico?
How would you answer that question? This was how it was put to me recently and I thought it might be helpful to others to share how I responded. It is my job, of course, to talk about immigration reduction, but it also is something I strongly believe will help Americans, especially the most desperate already among us.
The United Kingdom is facing many of the same immigration-related issues as the United States because policy makers have failed to plan sufficiently for immigration-driven population growth, while public support for reducing annual immigration levels remains strong. In order to accommodate housing demand, open space is being paved over for development.
Before the election we mentioned polling data that showed Hispanic voters strongly favor (54%) immigration reductions. President Trump's strong showing with Hispanic voters seems to bear this out. Maybe D.C. talking heads will begin to understand voters across the board support immigration policies that put the interest of the American people first.
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are tightening immigration controls. Does that have anything to do with stricter enforcement by the United States?
Have you noticed how at the same time single-family homes have gotten larger, apartment buildings in cities are cramming more, but tinier units into gigantic high-rise buildings? BOTH are super expensive and require massive amounts of resources to operate and maintain.
U.S. population growth is driven by immigration and is projected to reach over 400 million by 2065. This will create an increasing demand for new development, which will result in greater losses of our open spaces, wildlife habitats and natural resources at unprecedented and unsustainable rates. According to the U.S. Forest Service, between 1982 and 2001, over 34 million acres of open space was lost to development. By 2030, the total loss of forest space will equal the size of the state of Georgia.
The crises in California are a long way from over, and the problems will be more difficult to solve as the state's population, now at 40 million, continues to grow. Wildfires, water shortages, and planned power outages are just the tip of the iceberg if population is not part of the discussion to fix and enforce U.S. immigration policies.
The average American's commute has grown to almost an half hour and we now spend nine days a years driving to work. Population growth and poor planning are the causes. The solution offered up by most "experts" is MORE of the same.
It is in America's best interest to share its impressive education system with international students, but not at the expense of our own citizens. There is something seriously wrong with our immigration policies when we have created a higher education framework where so many schools, especially small private ones, cannot survive without depending on financing from foreign students -- or where schools decide that making greater profits from admitting foreign students is worth displacing American ones.