A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS

U.S. Foreign-Born Population Hits High(Genaro C. Armas, AP)

The U.S. foreign-born population has reached a record high, though the rate at which people came to America has slowed considerably, the government reports. . . .

Census Bureau estimates being released Monday show there were about 32.5 million foreign-born residents in the United States in March 2002, 2 percent more than the 31.8 million in the previous March.

In a population of 282.1 million, the foreign born amounted to 11.5 percent. . . .

-Nearly 17 million people, or just over half of the foreign-born population in 2002, came from Latin America. Over half of the 17 million arrived after 1990.

-Slightly more than one-quarter of the foreign-born population had a bachelor's degree or more, about the same as the native-born population. More than 20 percent of the foreign-born population had less than a ninth-grade education, compared with about 5 percent of the native population.

The census report did not count immigrants in jails, nursing homes or other group quarters, and did not cover illegal immigration.

A tenth of the population is foreign born and many have arrived since 1990. The AP article goes on to note that the census numbers don't include illegal aliens (another 7 million) or people in jail or nursing homes or other group living situations. Two thoughts jump out at me. First, the economy is absolutely dependent upon immigration. Second, wars come and go, but the great American project remains making one nation from the people of all nations.

Posted by David Cohen at March 11, 2003 9:05 AM