< back
 
 
PERCENTAGE OF FOREIGN BORN US POPULATION AT NINETY YEAR HIGH
According to data released this week by the Census Bureau, ten percent (26.4 million) people living in the US are foreign born, with about half of them coming from Latin American countries.  While new arrivals from Latin America are essential to the current economic boom, there are concerns that they will not be able to experience the ideal immigrant experience of working hard, getting better jobs, and see their children have a better life.  Many immigrants work in low level service jobs, where advancement is difficult.

Also, because wages in service jobs tend to be so low, recent arrivals are forced to work multiple jobs, leaving them with little time to take English classes and to integrate into US society.  This creates a cycle in which their children are caught up.  Children of parents who don’t speak English are more likely to drop out of school, increasing the chances that they themselves will end up in a job that provides little chance of advancement.

While there are a record number of foreign-born people in the US, as a percent of the population it is no where near the record.  In 1910, 14.7 percent of the population was foreign-born.  This number remained steady until the 1930s, when the Great Depression slowed immigration.

Details of the Census Bureau report are available online at http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2000/cb00-147.html. 
< Back | Next >
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.