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How America Is Changing
America is a nation of immigrants that change the face of the
nation in a unique way.
According to the 2000 Census:
- Almost one in 10 people in America were born elsewhere.
- 10 percent of the populations are immigrants.
- Over 1 million immigrants come in the United States every
year. Of these 800,000 arrive legally, while around 300,000 come
in undocumented.
- Currently the largest immigrant group is comprised of
Hispanics, which in turn has made this group the largest minority,
surpassing blacks. Hispanics represent 12.6 percent of the U.S.
population, compared to Blacks who account for 12 percent.
 New
immigrants tend to be in general younger than the native population
and accordingly have a higher birthrate. As a result of the
increased role of women in the workforce, fertility rates among
native-born Americans have declined. On the other hand, young
immigrants coming to the United States looking for opportunity are
more likely to have a higher birthrate, which boosts the population
growth of the country.
America is unique in that it assimilates immigrants into society.
Harold Hodgkinson, director of the Center for Demographic Policy in
Washington D.C. says, “Over 40 percent of Congress has immigrant
grandparents. Compare this to Turkish immigrants in Hamburg,
Germany, who though they are 30 percent of the population still
cannot vote after two or three generations.”
Access to quality education and health care for immigrants and
their children is therefore a priority for the future of America.
President George Bush signed a law entitled “No Child Left Behind.”
It focuses on providing every child in America with quality
education.
Almost a quarter of all children of immigrants live in poor
families, compared with 16 percent of children of native-born
Americans, according to the 1999 National Survey of America’s
Families. |
