Recession Hits Immigrants Hard: Survey Finds Decline In Foreign-Born Residents For First Time In 40 Years

Wall Street Journal:

The number of foreign-born residents of the U.S. declined for the first time since at least 1970, as a recession and tight labor market dented America's image as the land of opportunity.

In multiple ways -- falling homeownership, families moving in with others, couples putting off marriage -- the report illustrated that the recession has upended Americans' lives.

Read the Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

Read the whole story: Wall Street Journal

Comments

[MidnightRaine]

What on earth will the GOP & Lou Dobbs do now? They've put so much energy into making them the blame of ALL our problems.

[Electronicsboy]

We still need the fence. This time to keep them IN.

[wdw505]

why would you say that

[max08]

OK. Done. The illegal immigrants are moving out. Let's see the great American worker put out of his job by Mexicans as he claimed, get back on track. Let's see these denied US citizens perform.

Not a chance.

Why? These dullards, believing every lying thieving word Lou Dobbs said, fought the wrong enemy. Your jobs are gone, Einsteins. They're in India and China, and you bought the new American racism against Mexicans as the cause.

Suckers.

[MadHeart]

I'd say you're the dullard, conflating "illegal" with "racism" whether it's discussing companies who hire them or people (from many different countries) who enter the US illegally. What part of "illegal" don't you understand? Stop attacking the US working class with your elitist "analysis.­"

[thegreatstu]

Walk out on a construction site where there are a multitude of Mexicans hanging sheetrock, pouring concrete, and laying floor tile...Now go to the nearest employment office and see all of those construction workers looking for employment to feed their families and pay their bills.

This is not a rac.ism issue, it is an issue about criminals, A.K.A. undocumented workers or ill.egal imm.igrant­s, here in America. Are they taking the jobs Americans would love to be doing, you bet. Are there some jobs that Americans would rather not do, you bet. For those jobs that Americans don't want to do, we have a wonderful little thing called a work visa. It is legal...

[Mexitli]

There is more labor demand created by industry than there are work visas which causes the whole illegality thing.

The economy cannot expand unless it imports workers to fill the demand.

The economy needs to expand in order to keep up with Chindia and the E.U.

So long as Mexico has a surplus of labor, displaced migrants will continue heading north to seek employment.

Creating more work visas for the undocumented will enable them to cross freely and remove the need for them to take up permanent residence here in the states. Those who choose to stay will most likely adapt to the local culture, at least that's been the case heretofore.

One thing is certain, yelling r@ cist Democrat and r@ cist Republican at each other will not fix a thing and will most likely lead to more years of the same dysfunctional immigration system.

[Gasparilla]

Yeah, let's "keep up" with China and India. They both have hundreds of millions of people living in grinding poverty.

[thegreatstu]

The only thing I see wrong in your comment is the 9.7% unemployment rate in America...­Seems to me we always have plenty of American workers, just not enough jobs...

[MadHeart]

Land of opportunity? There are plenty of US citizens who never get an "opportunity" or if they do, it quickly slips from their hands whenever this country has a recession. They're called the working class. Never has this been so evident than since the beginning of this century and I say this as a 68 yr old woman who's been through several recessions in her lifetime. Imagine having to start over and over and over, never really getting ahead of the game every time you lose a job, and trying to maintain a stable life for yourself and your children. The "American Dream" has never been more than an elusive myth for many in this country, and even more so lately as greedy businesses continue to hire increasingly cheaper and cheaper labor here even while outsourcing jobs, and more US citizens feel they're relegated to the bottom, more like victims of third world policies wrought by US corporations, and the scapegoats of our own politicians.

[yappnmutt]

so illegal mexicans are going home. it easier to live in mexico with no money than the usa. doh!

[KIVPossum]

It's a worldwide phenomena. We're having folks return from Italy, Greece and Russia every day. Better to be unemployed with a family and community support network than unemployed in a strange country.

[liberalcynic]

Maladroit

[liberalcynic]

Who
Else is the recession going to hit hardest ? The well established? Malasroit to think otherwise.

[kankan]

The reality is that there are better options to immigrate to than America. The brand "United States of America" when it comes to America has competition, because while big and small government are busy fighting over who is more racist, envious, and has a darker longer lasting tan, the rest of the world has been capitalizing and making their countries better for immigration. The turning point will be when Americans try to immigrate to other countries and rejected because of their values and lack of education.

[raoul99]

If countries like Mexico weren't so violent, corrupt and dysfunctional, their people wouldn't need to go anywhere.

You're kinda right though. American takes in more LEGAL immigrants each year than the other 235 countries of the world COMBINED!

Most countries happily accept the small number of applying immigrants with the skill, education and bank deposits to contribute to the host country.

Only America accepts millions of uneducated, unskilled welfare parasites every year.

[max08]

Jesus Christ, use google before making these extraordinary claims. The annual take from Mexico, which is what you are really referring to, in your red-neck statement, is 10,000. Not millions.

Parasites? Do you know that if illegal immigrants were not in Texas to the degree they are that Texas would be as broke as California. Illegal immigrants add $17.2 billion to the Texas state coffers every year. Google the State Comptroller of Texas Immigration report 2006 and inform yourself.

We wouldn't have a viable Social Security Fund if it weren't for the illegal immigrants over the years contributing taxes they can never recoup. Research before you make idiotic statements like that.

[max08]

Furthermore, welfare parasites?

I hardly think so. Illegal immigrants dont get welfare. And as for health care, Latinos (Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatamala, etc) die from heart disease (#1 in white world) 30% LESS than white, 40% less from cancer (#2 in white world), 25% less from stroke ((#3 in white world). The burden on our health care system is born-here Americans.

You're parroting Lou Dobbs tripe and BS. And that man is all washed up in his effort to get ratings.

[planetjeffy]

this should make louDobbs happy