The Immigration Struggle in the 2010s - A Recap of the Decade Your efforts helped immigration emerge as a top political issue John, Can you imagine what the past decade would have been like without NumbersUSA and our millions of member activists? Just think of this. If any of the massive immigration increases and illegal alien amnesties proposed in the last decade had been allowed to become law, tens of millions of MORE foreign workers would now be able to compete for jobs and put pressure on our already burdened public services. There's one reason that these proposals didn't pass:
If our opponents in Congress had been successful in doubling or even tripling immigration over the last few years, very little of the current economic boom would have benefited Americans already here. Can you imagine the effect of 33 million more imported workers? That's how many our opponents wanted to bring in! How many fewer Americans would have jobs? How much longer would Americans with jobs have had to wait for rising wages that come from a tighter labor market? We would be nowhere near the improved employment and wage conditions of today If it hadn't been for a blizzard of phone calls from hundreds of thousands of NumbersUSA activists, demanding that Congress NOT PASS AMNESTIES NOR INCREASE LEGAL IMMIGRATION. Or think of it this way. Throughout the years of the Bush and Obama Administrations, there was MORE than one new immigrant admitted for every net job created. We still have an immigration crisis. Immigration is still way too high, filling jobs that otherwise would be filled by Americans, restraining the growth in wages. Immigration-fueled population growth is driving more urban sprawl faster than ever across our green spaces and farmland. Last year saw a huge surge of illegal border crossers breach our borders. Family incomes are just now catching up to where they were 40 years ago. But as we start a new decade, I felt it helpful to point out what a fantastic difference our activists have made. It would be no exaggeration to say that you have preserved our future as a free and prosperous nation. Help us keep fighting and keep growing! Our Numbers Action fund, which provides for so much of our grass-roots efforts, was badly underfunded this past year!
Back in 2008, few of the major presidential candidates wanted to talk about immigration. Most candidates from both parties mostly supported unchecked expansion. NumbersUSA created presidential candidate grade cards to push candidates to take stands on several immiration issues during the 2008 Primaries. We activated our base to pressure response. By 2012, all of the Republican candidates were at least giving lip service to our issues. Then by 2016, when we began advertising in the TV debates of both parties, candidates were falling over themselves to prove who was the toughest. How did we do this?
We've informed American voters, so that politicians can no longer hide behind vague promises to "strengthen the border" while doing nothing. American voters are demanding specific reforms. We could not have achieved any of this without the financial support of members like you! Help our movement keep growing! Please give!
NumbersUSA's vast army of activists is creating results. We still urgently need your help to make sure Congress passes the true reforms we need to reduce legal immigration and deter most illegal immigration. However, our victories are numerous and consequential, and cannot be understated! We started the decade in desperate straits. The Democratic Party had adopted an aggressive amnesty stance and held an almost filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and a huge majority in the House. Pres. Obama had proven to be far more pro-open borders than his written works suggested he might be. But before major immigration legislation could be passed, our efforts made immigration a major issue in the 2010 midterm elections. The result was yet another defeat of an amnesty bill at the end of the year. For a couple years, the new Republican majority recognized open borders as a losing election issue for them. President Obama authorized an executive amnesty ("DACA") without congressional authorization. After the 2012 Presidential election, however, several Republican leaders decided to out-amnesty the Democrats. Democrats and Republicans Senators together crafted a worst-of-all worlds bill, designed to give Republican corporate donors the cheap labor they wanted and the Democrats the permanent electoral majority they sought. The Senate passed the so-called "Gang of Eight" immigration bill, by far the worst immigration bill to date. You and your fellow members deluged Congress with phone calls and fakes. You convinced the House leadership that passage of such a large amnesty and increase of immigration would be disastrous for their constituents... and you held them responsible. For the rest of Pres. Obama's administration, open-borders advocates became more and more desperate for a win. Eventually, Pres. Obama took action on his own again, decreeing an amnesty ("DAPA") for four million illegal aliens who were parents of a child who is either a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident. NumbersUSA organized states' opposition to these amnesties. Many states sued. Happily, the federal courts prevented the huge amnesty from moving forward. At the start of the Trump administration, we hoped we could get real, lasting reforms passed. But whereas it takes only a majority to defeat legislation, we need a filibuster-proof supermajority to pass it. Nonetheless, President Trump has tried to crack down on illegal immigration. Many of his efforts have been tied up in the courts, however. Still, he's made huge strides on illegal immigration. Yet, these improvements could last only until the next President takes office, and Pres. Trump has yet to achieve a big legislative win on immigration. The next decade will be far more challenging. We've snuck up on the Washington establishment and shocked them; now we're fighting them in open political combat. As immigration has grown into the nation's hottest political issue, we need to grow proportionally. We can do this, but we need your support.
You can donate three ways: 1) Give via our web page, using your credit card or Paypal. 2) Check -- see the instructions and a form to print out and send with your check. 3) Call (703) 816-8820 to arrange a wire transfer, stock donation, or to make a credit card donation over the phone. If our office is closed, please leave the time and your phone number and we will call back. Keep the faith and don't ever give up! Jim Robb P. S. Want to send me your feedback? I'm glad to hear from you at [email protected]. P. P. S.: Remember, if you are ill, unemployed, or living on a small fixed income, please do not contribute. We only ask for help from those able to help. |
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