No one can logically argue that the quality of life, long-term economic stability, and the health of the environment will not worsen if the current level of migration into the United States continues. And, yet, the Biden Administration is intent on letting in even more people, legally or not.
Americans are living more densely, on average, but we've paved over more than eleven-and-a-half million acres over the past two decades. Most of the loss is a result of the U.S. population growing by nearly 40 million people – a result of Congressional immigration policy.
With strong public commitment and political support for immigration reduction, aggregate water consumption could be reduced even more, allowing still more water to remain where it belongs — in natural streams, rivers, and lakes — where it furnishes ecological benefits to habitat, wildlife, and society.
The issue of high levels of immigration is not unique to the United States. An op-ed from the United Kingdom's The Times explains how Britain has recently grappled with the same situation. The overarching point is applicable to the United States: resources and land are finite and housing shortages are already pervasive. This continued population growth, which is driven by immigration policies, is out of the control of the average person as each country's governments are at the helm.
The United States Department of Agriculture has created a pilot program that it says will strengthen the food supply chain by “reducing irregular migration” and "expanding the potential pool of [farm]workers."
A lawsuit was filed in Nevada this week alleging what is effectively a racket by ranchers conspiring to artificially deflate wages for both foreign and domestic shepherds. It is clear to anyone paying attention that the current framework for the agricultural guest worker program, H-2A, is not helping foreign or domestic workers, and at scale our temporary work programs are in fact suppressing wages and working conditions for workers to the sole benefit of employers.
The NumbersUSA National Sprawl Study shows that over 68,000 acres of open space was lost to development from 1982-2017, 67% of that loss due to population growth. Driving that growth and subsequent sprawl is the level of immigration to the U.S. Reducing immigration is the most effective way to preserve open spaces and ensure food security for the American people.
Even those of us who live the most sustainable lifestyles still have an ecological footprint. While technological advances can help mitigate the problem, as long as our population continues to climb, many of these gains will not be realized solely because there are more people consuming finite natural resources. An essential component to this issue that we must consider is our growing population, which in our country is mainly due to Congress' immigration policies.
Water is quickly being depleted by a growing U.S. population. This is placing an increased demand on rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater for drinking water, farming, and industrial production. This precious resource deserves our protection, stewardship, and care. Yet, our government officials have turned a blind eye to the crucial component of doing so, which is to cut immigration to the U.S.
Adding more consumers to a high-consumption nation is an easy way to make the economy bigger, but the costs to wage earners and innovation is significant, and - at a point in which there is growing recognition and concern about imperiled biodiversity - irresponsible.