o the Immigration Enforcement Improvements Act of 1995, which was meant to secure our borders, make deportation of illegal easier, and discourage the employment of illegal aliens (“Immigration...”). In essence this was a proposal to enforce the laws already in place. This was a strong attempt by the government to limit illegal immigration while facilitating legal immigration. As of now, due to the lack of credible data, it is unclear if this legislation worked. What is clear is the continuing struggle to find a balance in the immigration system. Many citizens are concerned with such issues as overpopulation, lack of jobs, and the cost to tax payers if this mass wave of legal and illegal immigrants continues (Castro 198). Concerns America has established such an inherent open heart/open door policy that it seems the melting pot may be about to boil over. Some estimates put the United States population over capacity by as much as one-hundred million (Amselle 60). America’s lax attitude toward overpopulation may have turned to one of “danger” that must be avoided (Amselle 60). In the past immigration was somewhat balanced; a good economy meant more immigrants and a slower economy saw a decrease in immigration (Amselle 60). There are those who feel the United States has absorbed all the people it can (Amselle 60). Then you have those like Joel Kotkin of the Progressive Policy Institute who feel that the large numbers of immigrants are “working age adults,” that America needs to “offset the growing number of pensioners” (Amselle 60). Even if the immigrant population can offset the number of pensioners, the number of resources in the country will still be divide amongst a much larger population. One must also take into account the number of illegal immigrants added to the population. They will also be replacing those retiring pensioners at a lower wage with no taxes or social security paym...
