Susan F. Martin, PhD, Former Executive Director of the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, in an essay entitled "Setting Priorities in Immigration Policy," on the Center for Immigration Studies website (accessed Feb. 27, 2007), offered the following:
"There is no a priori, correct number of legal admissions. The impact of immigration... depends largely on the skill levels of those admitted and where and in what concentrations they settle. One million immigrants spread equally throughout the country will have vastly different effects than one million immigrants settled in one county. The effects of the same number of newly arriving immigrants may be positive during an economic boom and problematic during a recession. Immigration policy should retain sufficient flexibility to respond to changing situations. The ceilings established for immigrant admissions should be re - examined and, if needed, revised at least at three to five year intervals. The Executive Branch should take the lead in revising admission ceilings, based on statutory criteria and in consultation with Congress."
George W. Bush, MBA, 43rd President of the United States, as quoted in a USAtoday.com Jan. 19, 2005 section entitled "On the Issues, Immigration," offered the following:
"America is a nation of immigrants; legal immigration is good for America and for those who come here seeking freedom and opportunity. As Governor of a border state, I know firsthand the great richness and benefits that legal immigrants with different cultures, history and traditions bring to America.
I support increasing the number of H-1B visas to help meet America's need for more high-tech workers, and I support expanding the H-2A temporary agricultural workers program so that willing workers can help meet America's labor needs."
John McCain, U.S. Senator (R-AZ), as quoted in a Boston Globe year 2000 campaign special online report, stated:
"I
strongly support ample legal immigration. I do not believe that we, as
a nation of immigrants, should shut our doors to those who would
contribute to our society and economy. I believe we should have
immigration laws and policies that are fair, reasonable, and
sustainable and that have the support of the American people. I have
strongly supported dramatically expanding visas for qualified high-tech
workers who can help America maintain its world leadership in the
information technology revolution. As President, I will ensure that the
laws governing legal immigration will help ensure that our diversity
and openness remain a vital source of national strength and character."
Al Gore, Former U.S. Vice President, in a Mar. 1, 2000 Democratic presidential campaign debate in Los Angeles, offered the following:
"Yes,
I think that we should allow more immigrants to come in. We are a
nation of immigrants and with pride. It is what has made us a great
nation. All of us, save the Native Americans, need only count back the
generations to find when our families immigrated here or when they were
brought here in chains."
Sheila Jackson Lee, JD, U.S. Representative (D-TX), in a June 20, 2004 press conference entitled "Launch of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM)," retrieved from her official website, stated:
"The
Family Reunification section of my Comprehensive Immigration Fairness
Reform Act of 2004 would revise the Immigration and Nationality Act
(INA) to provide waivers for removal grounds that are keeping families
separated... The Diversity Visas section of my bill would increase the
number of diversity visas from 55,000 to 110,000. [...] It also would
eliminate the cap of 10,000 on the number of individuals who can change
their status from 'asylee' to 'lawful permanent resident' in any fiscal
year."
Phillip J. Ritter, JD, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, Texas Instruments Incorporated, in an Aug. 31, 2006 testimony before the Field Hearing of the Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship Senate Judiciary Subcommittee in Texas, stated:
"The
United States benefits when foreign-born scientists, doctors,
teachers, engineers and entrepreneurs live and work in this
country. [...] Talent must be a national imperative. Access to
talent is not just about more H-1B visas. It is also about green
card reform that ensures that more foreign nationals can remain in
the United States and build their careers here. [...] We will
always want to have access to the best talent in the world but
building a domestic pipeline of science and engineering."
Steve Forbes, 2000 U.S. Presidential candidate and President CEO of Forbes Inc., as quoted in a Boston Globe year 2000 campaign special online report, stated:
"We
are a nation of immigrants, but our government is doing a terrible job
on the immigration issue. As President, I will provide real
conservative leadership on this critical issue. I do not support
increasing legal immigration, except in the area of H1-B visas for
high-tech workers to work side-by-side with American scientists and
engineers. The real issue, however, is that the federal government is
not protecting our borders and should compensate states as a result.
The INS is rife with dismal mismanagement and badly needs drastic
reform."
Pat Buchanan, MA, American politician, Syndicated Columnist, and Presidential Candidate for the 1996 and 2000 elections, in a Jan. 18, 2000 speech at The President Richard M. Nixon Library entitled "To Reunite a Nation," made the following remarks:
"I don't want to overstate the negatives. But in too many cases the American Melting Pot has been reduced to a simmer. At present rates, mass immigration reinforces ethnic subcultures, reduces the incentives of newcomers to learn English; and extends the life of linguistic ghettos that might otherwise be melded into the great American mainstream. If we want to assimilate new immigrants-and we have no choice if we are remain one nation-we must slow down the pace of immigration. That is why I am proposing immigration reform to make it possible to fully assimilate the 30 million immigrants who have arrived in the last thirty years. As President, I will ask Congress to reduce new entry visas to 300,000 a year, which is enough to admit immediate family members of new citizens, with plenty of room for many thousands with the special talents or skills our society needs."
Joe Guzzardi, English Instructor at the Lodi Adult School, in a May 6, 2005 Vdare.com article entitled "Legal Mass Immigration Is The Ultimate Threat," offered the following:
"Legal
immigration often takes a back seat to illegal immigration in terms of
how much time we spend writing and talking about it... but legal
immigration is the bigger of the two threats.
[...] When you
say legal immigration, are you talking about chain migration, temporary
protected status, extended voluntary departure, asylum or refugees? All
offer ample opportunities for fraud and for a ticket to the U.S. [...]
don’t forget that legal mass immigration is the ultimate threat."
Carrying Capacity Network (CCN), an anti-mass immigration activist group, in an article entitled "Why a 100,000 Limit on Immigration Is Realistic and Necesary," posted on its website (accessed Jan. 31, 2007), offered the following:
"The
United States now accepts over one million legal immigrants each year,
which is more than all of the other industrialized nations in the
world, combined. The sheer number of immigrants has simply overwhelmed
our country's ability to continue to provide for newcomers and natives
alike, and in many cases has only added to America's problems.
We need to focus attention on the fact that legal immigration is three
times as great as illegal immigration and accounts for 55%-75% of the
multibillion dollar annual costs.
Our country is already
burdened by underfunded schools, overcrowded prisons, persistent
unemployment, increasingly violent crime, accelerating resource
depletion, an ever-growing budget deficit and a rapidly decreasing
quality of life. Adding over one million immigrants to our country each
year only makes there [sic] problems much more difficult to solve."
Illegal Immigration Around the World: 13 Countries Compared to the United States
