Congress’ immigration lie in 1965; today’s lie in 2013

In 1965, Congress passed the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that increased legal immigration from about 200,00 per year to over one million annually. In the mid-1960s, the United States’ population was under 200 million. That single act of Congress was the major contributor to a national population now over 315 million and which could  reach 428 million by 2050, a mere 37 years from now. [1965 Immigration Law Changed Face of America, by Jennifer Ludden, NPR, May 9, 2006]

Adding millions more people boggles every American’s mind as to the degradation of our environment, quality of life, standard of living and, eventually, a sustainable civilization.

When Senator Teddy Kennedy guided the INA through Congress in 1965, he promised  that more immigration would not significantly changed the way of life in the United States. But added population has overcrowded major cities and placed strains on education, health care, transportation, welfare and housing.

In 1965, when I lived in San Diego, California’s population stood at 15 million people.  Today, California has 38 million people in its bloated, gridlocked and air-polluted cities. California’s population increases daily and, unless the trend reverses, may reach 58 million within the next 30 years. The larger California becomes, the more ominous its fate: irreversible consequences with unsolvable problems.

Similar overcrowding problems occur in Chicago, Houston, Miami, Atlanta and New York. As the numbers of people increase, infrastructure decays.

In April, the Senate introduced the Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act (S. 744) which, if passed, could grant legal status to between 11 to 20 million illegal aliens and also could increase legal immigration, already at about 1 million per year, by 50 percent. Immigration increases of this magnitude accelerates population growth dramatically.

Americans have chosen to limit family size to two children to maintain a stable population. But the 1965 INA undermined Americans lifestyle choices. In 2013, the consequences are easily seen: water shortages, high energy costs, resource exhaustion and congested cities to name only a few.  At some point, each of us must take action to push back against Congress to not make the same mistake again.

Please go the CAPS Action Alert here and phone your officials to protest amnesty.