There is a new trend in America’s population growth. Immigration is the focus of new data from the Census Bureau and has been garnering political steam in Congress. For the first time since the Census Bureau began tracking population growth in 1850, immigration is poised to pass natural increases as the primary driver of population growth in the United States within the next 15 to 25 years. Natural increases are falling behind as the fertility rates decline and baby boomers are aging. Supplementing the aging American population would be the immigration of a younger, more diverse population.
Depending on the immigration reform working its way through Congress now and Census projections, the U.S. population could reach 400 million by mid-century and non-Hispanic whites would become a minority sometime between 2041 and 2043. This demographic shift places increased importance on the bills and proposals being discussed on Capitol Hill. In the Senate, the bipartisan Gang of Eight’s Immigration Bill is in the Judiciary Committee for the amendment process. The more contentious amendments are likely to be discussed next week. The path for reform in the House is much more complicated and divided. Representatives have had a harder time finding common ground and have yet to submit their own bill. Some House Republicans have argued they cannot accept a bill that doesn’t solve illegal immigration. What kinds of compromise the House and Senate can come to will likely impact the rate and type of immigration America sees in the coming decades.
Depending on the immigration reform working its way through Congress now and Census projections, the U.S. population could reach 400 million by mid-century and non-Hispanic whites would become a minority sometime between 2041 and 2043. This demographic shift places increased importance on the bills and proposals being discussed on Capitol Hill. In the Senate, the bipartisan Gang of Eight’s Immigration Bill is in the Judiciary Committee for the amendment process. The more contentious amendments are likely to be discussed next week. The path for reform in the House is much more complicated and divided. Representatives have had a harder time finding common ground and have yet to submit their own bill. Some House Republicans have argued they cannot accept a bill that doesn’t solve illegal immigration. What kinds of compromise the House and Senate can come to will likely impact the rate and type of immigration America sees in the coming decades.
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