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This Just In...
Kevin Fischer is an award-winning veteran broadcaster who has been seen and heard on Milwaukee TV and radio stations for nearly three decades.
Kevin, who is a legislative aide to state Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin), can be seen offering his views on the news on the public affairs program, “INTERchange,” on Milwaukee Public Television Channel 10. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, in Franklin.
Uneducated immigrants hurt the U.S.
By Kevin Fischer
Thursday, Nov 29 2007, 06:00 PM
A new report released today concludes that uneducated immigrants are hurting the United States.
The report by the Center for Immigration Studies finds foreign-born adults have less education than native-born citizens and increase the rates of poverty, welfare use and lack of medical insurance.
Here are some of the key findings of the report that’s based on Census Bureau data collected in March 2007:
· The nation’s immigrant population (legal and illegal) reached a record of 37.9 million in 2007.
· Immigrants account for one in eight U.S. residents, the highest level in 80 years. In 1970 it was one in 21; in 1980 it was one in 16; and in 1990 it was one in 13.
· Overall, nearly one in three immigrants is an illegal alien. Half of Mexican and Central American immigrants and one-third of South American immigrants are illegal.
· Since 2000, 10.3 million immigrants have arrived — the highest seven-year period of immigration in U.S. history. More than half of post-2000 arrivals (5.6 million) are estimated to be illegal aliens.
· The largest increases in immigrants were in California, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, Arizona, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. (If Wisconsin continues its trend of supplying illegal immigrants with social services at the expense of taxpayers, more will move north from Illinois here).
· Of adult immigrants, 31 percent have not completed high school, compared to 8 percent of natives. Since 2000, immigration increased the number of workers without a high school diploma by 14 percent, and all other workers by 3 percent.
· The proportion of immigrant-headed households using at least one major welfare program is 33 percent, compared to 19 percent for native households.
· Immigrants make significant progress over time. But even those who have been here for 20 years are more likely to be in poverty, lack insurance, or use welfare than are natives.
· The primary reason for the high rates of immigrant poverty, lack of health insurance, and welfare use is their low education levels, not their legal status or an unwillingness to work.
· Of immigrant households, 82 percent have at least one worker compared to 73 percent of native households.
· There is a worker present in 78 percent of immigrant households using at least one welfare program.
In the category of number of immigrants by state, Wisconsin ranks 23rd with 257,000 immigrants.
Wisconsin’s % of the population that is immigrant: 4.7%
Between 2000 and 2007, 81,000 immigrants arrived in Wisconsin.
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