**Previously recorded by Phyllis Schlafly // December 2015 **
Liberals in favor of an open-door immigration policy with Latin American countries love to paint the picture that Hispanics trying to get into our country only want to seek the American dream for themselves and their children. The truth is that even second and third generation Hispanic immigrants are not nearly as likely to achieve upward mobility as white Americans. The unemployment rate for first generation Hispanic immigrants is 10 percent, but that percentage jumps to 21 percent for third generation Hispanics. That means that the longer Hispanic families stay in America, the worse off they will likely be, and the greater burden they will be on American tax paid welfare benefits.
According to the American Community Survey, first generation Hispanic immigrant men are 27 percent likely to be in prison. That should be a red flag to Americans concerned about the effect of immigration on our country. Unfortunately, it gets even worse later on. When a man of Hispanic descent is actually born in America, they are 157 percent more likely to be in prison. This is a problem that should concern every American.
Every year, thousands of people from Latin America are let into the United States legally, and countless more come illegally. America has no reason, much less an obligation, to offer citizenship and its many benefits to these people. Prior to 1965, America only took immigrants who could prove they had a plan to support themselves and not become a burden to U.S. taxpayers. When Ted Kennedy’s 1965 immigration reforms went into effect, all of that changed. As we are starting to see the second and third generation effects of these changes, Americans should be warned that these policies are not good for our country and very expensive.
