Biden Immigration Policy Is Bad For The Nation

Nothing worse than re opening our borders during the current pandemic….

To The Opinion Editors –

I strongly disagree with your Feb. 15 editorial regarding President Biden’s immigration policy. Your view is short sighted, parochial, and poorly argued. Worse still, your blanket statement that “illegal aliens vote for the Democrat Party” is racist and misinformed.

Immigrants — working together with U.S.-born Americans — have been essential in helping to build a more prosperous country that can live up to the ethos of the American dream. Whether by helping to build out critical infrastructure, by serving on our front lines as soldiers and doctors, or by providing for our communities as farmworkers, construction workers and small business owners, when America needs a hand, it is often the immigrant population that has stepped in, happy to work in partnership to get the job done. Welcoming more immigrants into the United States has allowed us all to continue to thrive and progress.

But if the facts about how immigrants put roofs over our heads and foods on our tables aren’t proof enough, maybe appealing to your vested self interest will help. Put plainly: Without continued and increased immigration, aging American Baby Boomers face grave economic risk. Annual warnings from the Social Security Administration reveal a fragile pension system on the brink of insolvency. And shrinking local tax bases are devastating local communities, impacting their capacity to provide basic infrastructure and adequate job opportunities to their residents. Meanwhile, the U.S. population is aging, dramatically. Fertility rates are falling, life expectancy is rising, baby boomers are reaching retirement age, and net immigration levels are not high enough to keep pace.

According to the U.S. census, nearly one in every four Americans is projected to be 65 years or older by 2060. At that point, 94.7 million people over age 65 will be living in the country — close to twice the number today. At the same time, the overall population is growing at a slower rate than it has in almost a century, leaving unfilled openings in crucial industries such as health care, agriculture, and information technology.

A sustained increase in net immigration levels based on the ratio of working-age adults to adults at retirement age, provides a natural solution to many of the problems that demographic deficit causes. Immigrants are well-positioned to fill critical shortages, whether in the labor market or the country’s demographic composition. A recent report from the Center-Right group The National Immigration Forum (whose supporters include the US Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers) found that “Using publicly available census data and modern demographic concepts, we project that at least a 37% increase in net immigration levels over those projected for fiscal year 2020 (approximately 370,000 additional
immigrants a year) will help prevent the U.S. from falling into demographic deficit and socioeconomic decline.”

For the health and prosperity of American workers and their families, we need to reimagine the future of our immigration system and develop policies based on economic and demographic realities — and not the reactionary race-bating logic that your editorial espouses.

Please put more time and thought into your opinions. Otherwise this new subscriber won’t stick around very long.
David Brotherton
Augusta (Summerville)

I agree

Biden’s quest is to turn America into Venezuela.

If David B. unsubscribes from the Augusta Press, I will pay the lost $5 revenue to the Augusta Press in his place. Cancel culture will not be tolerated here.

What did I miss? Oh yeah, the difference between immigrants who illegally enter the USA or stay beyond the limits of their visa and those who immigrate legally. Perhaps President Biden should have proposed legislation to address new immigration parameters instead of issuing an Executive Order that opens the gate to catch and release with or without COVID-19 testing of entrants. He owns the House and the Senate. What is stopping him? Perhaps he knows that citizens don’t want unfettered access through the borders.

Wow! To have an intelligent discussion regarding immigration, we need to first separate legal from illegal. I am certainly for legal immigration for the reason said: our population is getting older and legal immigrants can help the country long term. Legal immigrants are vetted for their ability to support themselves and contribute to society. On the other hand, illegal immigrants are pot luck. Many of them are unable to support themselves and become instant burdens on society, namely you and me.

What is seldom talked about is the effect on low wage U. S. workers. Illegal immigrants are largely uneducated and willing to work for a very low wage. Why do you suppose the U. S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers support illegal immigration? H-M-M-M? We already have a great disparity between low wage workers and high earners. Allowing illegal immigrants into our country will only make that disparity worse. Revolution ensues when low wage workers no longer feel they are being treated fairly by society.

In regard to David Brotherton column. There was a myriad of statistics, most of which are irrelevant. There is a difference between legal and illegal immigration. Just because the number of immigrates increase does not reflect an increase of jobs. We are facing record unemployment levels which will not decrease because of record immigration levels. We have travel bans between states in an attempt to reduce covid infection. What does the influx of large numbers of untested people have on the spread of covid. We are encouraging social distancing, masking. How is that to be implemented in the growing caravans of immigrants. I would suggest you put more logic in your conclusions.