Excellent, but I could give this to my hysterical anti-ICE friends here and they wouldn't absorb your historical facts. They'd turn it into a battle for human rights they are waging against the fascists. Unfortunately, many people only learn what suits their brainwashed minds.
Great background. We can’t deny that people love “cheap” labor, in particular, that which comes with external costs covered by actual taxpayers: healthcare, emergency wards, “free” neighborhood clinics, free release with agreement to appear, drivers licenses, illegal voter registration and voting, and the biggie: distortion of congressional representation.
Eerie how today’s graphic is that of the Homeland Security Department logo in the crosshairs. Three migrants were just gunned down in front of the DHS detention center in Dallas, killing one migrant, wounding two others. Interesting how there seems to be a news blackout over the killer and migrants involved? Why is this? Where is the left’s outrage, protests, burning, rioting, looting and maiming over this outrageous act? Oh that’s right, the Perp involved was one of their own! The killer had etched symbols and bizarre writings on the shell casings used, similar to that of the Kirk assassin. Is there a connection? Trend? Strange how one of the few news agencies covering the Dallas DHS mass shooting was, wait for it…Aljazerra! Then again, maybe it’s just Aljazerra’s inherent bias in running with a story about our country going bat shit crazy?…and they would be right!
What is fueling all the violence? Well, when terms like “Nazi” or “Fascist” are used by radicals, activists, and Democratic Members of Congress to describe their hatred of the Trump Administration, it comes as no surprise that violence ensues.
Further troubling is the lack of news coverage about the rash of mass shootings and assassinations, perpetrated by a seemingly common denominator. Why is there a news blackout over the correlation between murder, mayhem and “Transtifa?”
The answer? It’s because rioting, violent, and murderous mobs are the stormtroopers or in effect, the National Guard for the left and the Democratic Party!
Well said LT, but can we rename the rioting, violent, and murderous mobs/stormtroopers on the left to 5th Columnists? Gladio Units? (since I served in the National Guard…😎)
Just a reminder of how fickle our culture is, remember when famous folk were publicly shamed for employing undocumented nannies and housekeepers? Notably the Hollywood crowd. That was about 30 years ago. Yes, illegal labor is cheap. But it comes at a high cost. In cost to maintain social programs for undocumented. And also, in the exploitation of one class of laborers.
Hiring illegals ended the careers of several Supreme Court candidates, as well as Meg Whitman - (CEO of Ebay/Paypal?) in her race for California governor.
Turning a blind eye to "hiring nannies and gardeners" on the cheap, makes the case for wanting illegals only for exploitive labor.
While failing to account for their now successive generations of children and relatives that come along with the the original cheap labor exploitation package. Are them condemned to only provide cheap baby sitting, house cleaning and gardening too? Which also led to the total lack of entry level, low skill jobs for legal Americans since "bi-lingual preferred" is snuck into the job applications.
Let's not forget Linda Chavez G. W. Bush's nominee for Sec. of Labor. Or Bernard Kerik, also a G. W. Bush nominee. Or Andrew Puzder, D. Trump's nominee for Sec. of Labor in 2017. All rejected for the same reason.
Well done and well said. Context and history matter so thank you for so clearly outlining how we have gotten to where we are—great article! And, yes, I will be ordering your book :))
Thanks Margaret for the historical development. Some events also impacting immigration were LBJ's Great Society that offered financial assistance through programs to some by paying for them by taxing others. An analogy might be that while each of us could at least somewhat afford to provide partial support for a recipient until Biden-Harris failure to enforce any limits on immigration caused the cost to each of us to support this group to reach the breaking point. Those who argue that this group are employed need to direct that argument to the cities, such as Chicago, who are whining that they cannot afford it. Rising crime is another cost to each of us. Have any of you experienced your cost of living declining due to the influx of immigrants?
Congress acting would be nice but President Trump showed it was not essential.
Your ending comments are curiously liberal. You ignore the fact that housekeepers, gardeners, and other manual laborers now demand $30-$40/hour and do not pay taxes. They benefit from our Medicaid, Medi-Cal, and other taxpayer funded benefits without contributing to them. They take jobs from taxpaying US citizens. They want Social Security without paying in. Biden and Democrats opened the boarders in an attempt to get new Democrat voters so they could stay in power. The bottom line is that open boarders are not meant for welfare states like the US. With $37 trillion in debt the US cannot afford it. Sadly, your comment that we will miss the contribution of our lower paid wage earners is not helpful. Its time to stand up for US citizens.
The body of the comments is actually pretty liberalized as well. But several good points are made, making the full intent of this article murky. However, this necessary conversations must start somewhere. As good a place as any.
Plus it is time for SCOTUS to offer far more guidance under the laws on the books as well as the intent of the US Constitution on these matter. May we pray for no more loopholes and ambiguities to be exploited for partisan gain, which is what we have right now.
Very nice article on the history of ICE. I think most of us on the left are not against the mission of ICE, what we object to are the quotas and methods. ICE agents should not to be told things like we want you to detain and deport 600 illegals today. And when law-abiding people are stopped by masked individuals who demand to see their ids it does not feel like America.
MC: It does not feel like America to suddenly have 20 million uninvited persons suddenly appear at our door steps, immediately competing for jobs, housing, social services and our tax dollars.
Might mean we need to put up with "masked individuals" doing the best they can under these currently openly hostile circumstances, to make sure all persons are here legally. What is your better option? Demanding to see ID's happens all the time. Every try to apply for your new drivers license, travel by plane, embark on a cruise ship, set up an IRS online account to name only a few times when an ID is demanded.
Bet to have more appreciation for the plan currently on the table - tax payer-funded voluntary deportation, back to their home country and land of their own legal citizenship. With clear instructions how to enter our country legally, and not cheat others already waiting in line by jumping ahead of them without permission.
Great article, just the facts. Lots of comments here from the far right extremists, but they don't see with clear eyes in any case. Would really have liked to see you go into the way immigration legislation has been more of a political football than an actual attempt at developing a sane policy (what with Trump telling Republicans in congress to kill a bipartisan bill last year because he wanted to use immigration as a campaign issue, and other earlier attempts at legislation that got scuttled by politics).
........"Lots of comments here from .......far right extremists".......
Goodness, who knew one would paint posters here on this one sane local discussion forum, with such a broad and narrow-minded brush. Thanks or sharing Burton H Voorhies.
Until SCOTUS weigh in, all you have today are still opinions about this overall topic. Not facts.
BH: The shoe does not fit. You err. But "free speech" continues to let you say anything you want. And vice versa. This is a website for sound, moderate discussion, and occasionally disrupted by those with more extreme agendas. What brings you here?
Margaret, this was a very nice article. I would only suggest that instead of trying to get the jab in on Biden from 2022-2024 numbers, you follow what you had been doing, laying things out chronologically. Your writing could have the reader feeling that Biden in those two years added 17 million.
You neglected to discuss in detail the surge in the late 1950s to early 1960s, due to Soviet influence and then Castro's coming to power. Then, there was a surge in the 1980s of Cubans, and then the wet foot/dry foot policy. You could also have discussed the NAFTA-related surge of new immigrants, which chronologically brought the total up.
On the whole, this has been the first time I have seen an article on this substack that is not so opinionated! Thank you.
David, I just checked out your Substack. You started it over two years ago and have not yet written a single post! Just look at how much you've written here. Since you think so ill of all of us who write here, why don't you show how it should be done on your Substack instead?
Perhaps his bloviating here is a form of compensation for his tiny substack. Voorhees has done a little better with one post to his subpimple with the promise of more to follow. In the Fallacy of the Anchor, Prof Dr Vorhees PhD makes the profound observation that people have bias. I hear Canada has high academic standards.
Good point about the 17 million and the Biden administration. We certainly wouldn't want any of the readers to believe Biden invited in more than the more accurate number of 7 million illegal aliens who walked in during his 48 months in office...just 146,000 per month.
Good point. I guess the 4mm under Trump's first term should have been brought up as well. Had Covid not existed, perhaps he would have been NUMBER 1 in illegals.
You might consider using another source for your data other than CNN and MSNBC, etc.. official figure on that is 2.6 million under Trump's first administration.... Which is exactly 2.6 million too many. Notably, you didn't bring up Trump's second administration....hmmmm...
Excellent, but I could give this to my hysterical anti-ICE friends here and they wouldn't absorb your historical facts. They'd turn it into a battle for human rights they are waging against the fascists. Unfortunately, many people only learn what suits their brainwashed minds.
Said the pot to the kettle.
Do you wanna put a little meat on that bone Burton?
Touché Mr. Kettle.
Your "hysterical anti-ICE friends" would find much to like in this article.
Great background. We can’t deny that people love “cheap” labor, in particular, that which comes with external costs covered by actual taxpayers: healthcare, emergency wards, “free” neighborhood clinics, free release with agreement to appear, drivers licenses, illegal voter registration and voting, and the biggie: distortion of congressional representation.
Privatize the profits, socialize the costs.
Excellent observations, Steve. And just the start of what this recent turning of a blind eye to illegal border crossings have done to this country.
The issue does not end with "hard working maids, nannies and gardeners" who can easily be covered if necessary under a temporary worker permit.
Eerie how today’s graphic is that of the Homeland Security Department logo in the crosshairs. Three migrants were just gunned down in front of the DHS detention center in Dallas, killing one migrant, wounding two others. Interesting how there seems to be a news blackout over the killer and migrants involved? Why is this? Where is the left’s outrage, protests, burning, rioting, looting and maiming over this outrageous act? Oh that’s right, the Perp involved was one of their own! The killer had etched symbols and bizarre writings on the shell casings used, similar to that of the Kirk assassin. Is there a connection? Trend? Strange how one of the few news agencies covering the Dallas DHS mass shooting was, wait for it…Aljazerra! Then again, maybe it’s just Aljazerra’s inherent bias in running with a story about our country going bat shit crazy?…and they would be right!
https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/9/25/who-is-joshua-jahn-what-we-know-about-the-dallas-ice-facility-shooting
What is fueling all the violence? Well, when terms like “Nazi” or “Fascist” are used by radicals, activists, and Democratic Members of Congress to describe their hatred of the Trump Administration, it comes as no surprise that violence ensues.
Further troubling is the lack of news coverage about the rash of mass shootings and assassinations, perpetrated by a seemingly common denominator. Why is there a news blackout over the correlation between murder, mayhem and “Transtifa?”
https://www.newsweek.com/what-trantifa-far-left-movement-transgender-violence-1807032
The answer? It’s because rioting, violent, and murderous mobs are the stormtroopers or in effect, the National Guard for the left and the Democratic Party!
Well said LT, but can we rename the rioting, violent, and murderous mobs/stormtroopers on the left to 5th Columnists? Gladio Units? (since I served in the National Guard…😎)
Methinks we’ll soon find out WHO is fueling all the violence…see that Corney is soon to be indicted…one thing leads to another… https://x.com/fnowisthetime/status/1492916491661950978?s=61
What if taxpayers are paying for it all… https://www.zerohedge.com/political/armed-queers-marxist-revolutionaries-under-investigation-possible-foreknowledge-kirks
Just a reminder of how fickle our culture is, remember when famous folk were publicly shamed for employing undocumented nannies and housekeepers? Notably the Hollywood crowd. That was about 30 years ago. Yes, illegal labor is cheap. But it comes at a high cost. In cost to maintain social programs for undocumented. And also, in the exploitation of one class of laborers.
Hiring illegals ended the careers of several Supreme Court candidates, as well as Meg Whitman - (CEO of Ebay/Paypal?) in her race for California governor.
Turning a blind eye to "hiring nannies and gardeners" on the cheap, makes the case for wanting illegals only for exploitive labor.
While failing to account for their now successive generations of children and relatives that come along with the the original cheap labor exploitation package. Are them condemned to only provide cheap baby sitting, house cleaning and gardening too? Which also led to the total lack of entry level, low skill jobs for legal Americans since "bi-lingual preferred" is snuck into the job applications.
Let's not forget Linda Chavez G. W. Bush's nominee for Sec. of Labor. Or Bernard Kerik, also a G. W. Bush nominee. Or Andrew Puzder, D. Trump's nominee for Sec. of Labor in 2017. All rejected for the same reason.
Well done and well said. Context and history matter so thank you for so clearly outlining how we have gotten to where we are—great article! And, yes, I will be ordering your book :))
Wages paid to n county pickers
Is $20 p/h plus.
An apple is now over a dollar.
So the old cheap veggies 'plus' plus
Is out the window.
Your points are well taken with a 10B
Overrun of Medicaid. 32/: of this
Budget busting program was by illegals.
Thanks Margaret for the historical development. Some events also impacting immigration were LBJ's Great Society that offered financial assistance through programs to some by paying for them by taxing others. An analogy might be that while each of us could at least somewhat afford to provide partial support for a recipient until Biden-Harris failure to enforce any limits on immigration caused the cost to each of us to support this group to reach the breaking point. Those who argue that this group are employed need to direct that argument to the cities, such as Chicago, who are whining that they cannot afford it. Rising crime is another cost to each of us. Have any of you experienced your cost of living declining due to the influx of immigrants?
Congress acting would be nice but President Trump showed it was not essential.
Should the term "immigrant" be still used so loosely to describe both legal and illegal entries in to this country?
Great post. No vitrio, just the history which is enlightening. Thanks.
This is a very good read. This should be shared.
Your ending comments are curiously liberal. You ignore the fact that housekeepers, gardeners, and other manual laborers now demand $30-$40/hour and do not pay taxes. They benefit from our Medicaid, Medi-Cal, and other taxpayer funded benefits without contributing to them. They take jobs from taxpaying US citizens. They want Social Security without paying in. Biden and Democrats opened the boarders in an attempt to get new Democrat voters so they could stay in power. The bottom line is that open boarders are not meant for welfare states like the US. With $37 trillion in debt the US cannot afford it. Sadly, your comment that we will miss the contribution of our lower paid wage earners is not helpful. Its time to stand up for US citizens.
The body of the comments is actually pretty liberalized as well. But several good points are made, making the full intent of this article murky. However, this necessary conversations must start somewhere. As good a place as any.
Plus it is time for SCOTUS to offer far more guidance under the laws on the books as well as the intent of the US Constitution on these matter. May we pray for no more loopholes and ambiguities to be exploited for partisan gain, which is what we have right now.
Very well put together history of U.S. immigration.
Thank you for sharing. Context is helpful, and for the most part, not present today. Keep it up?
Very nice article on the history of ICE. I think most of us on the left are not against the mission of ICE, what we object to are the quotas and methods. ICE agents should not to be told things like we want you to detain and deport 600 illegals today. And when law-abiding people are stopped by masked individuals who demand to see their ids it does not feel like America.
MC: It does not feel like America to suddenly have 20 million uninvited persons suddenly appear at our door steps, immediately competing for jobs, housing, social services and our tax dollars.
Might mean we need to put up with "masked individuals" doing the best they can under these currently openly hostile circumstances, to make sure all persons are here legally. What is your better option? Demanding to see ID's happens all the time. Every try to apply for your new drivers license, travel by plane, embark on a cruise ship, set up an IRS online account to name only a few times when an ID is demanded.
Bet to have more appreciation for the plan currently on the table - tax payer-funded voluntary deportation, back to their home country and land of their own legal citizenship. With clear instructions how to enter our country legally, and not cheat others already waiting in line by jumping ahead of them without permission.
Great article, just the facts. Lots of comments here from the far right extremists, but they don't see with clear eyes in any case. Would really have liked to see you go into the way immigration legislation has been more of a political football than an actual attempt at developing a sane policy (what with Trump telling Republicans in congress to kill a bipartisan bill last year because he wanted to use immigration as a campaign issue, and other earlier attempts at legislation that got scuttled by politics).
"Bipartisan", this is not to defend Trump, but why does "Bipartisan" to you somehow mean sane or moral?
So something has the support of both parties? Does that make whatever is being promoted true, just, moral? No.
"Bipartisan cooperation" is one of the most bizarre platitudes of the modern era.
Carlism Gang - out.
........"Lots of comments here from .......far right extremists".......
Goodness, who knew one would paint posters here on this one sane local discussion forum, with such a broad and narrow-minded brush. Thanks or sharing Burton H Voorhies.
Until SCOTUS weigh in, all you have today are still opinions about this overall topic. Not facts.
What can I say, the shoe fits. If there were any far left types here I'd mention them, too.
BH: The shoe does not fit. You err. But "free speech" continues to let you say anything you want. And vice versa. This is a website for sound, moderate discussion, and occasionally disrupted by those with more extreme agendas. What brings you here?
Margaret, this was a very nice article. I would only suggest that instead of trying to get the jab in on Biden from 2022-2024 numbers, you follow what you had been doing, laying things out chronologically. Your writing could have the reader feeling that Biden in those two years added 17 million.
You neglected to discuss in detail the surge in the late 1950s to early 1960s, due to Soviet influence and then Castro's coming to power. Then, there was a surge in the 1980s of Cubans, and then the wet foot/dry foot policy. You could also have discussed the NAFTA-related surge of new immigrants, which chronologically brought the total up.
On the whole, this has been the first time I have seen an article on this substack that is not so opinionated! Thank you.
David, I just checked out your Substack. You started it over two years ago and have not yet written a single post! Just look at how much you've written here. Since you think so ill of all of us who write here, why don't you show how it should be done on your Substack instead?
Perhaps his bloviating here is a form of compensation for his tiny substack. Voorhees has done a little better with one post to his subpimple with the promise of more to follow. In the Fallacy of the Anchor, Prof Dr Vorhees PhD makes the profound observation that people have bias. I hear Canada has high academic standards.
Good point about the 17 million and the Biden administration. We certainly wouldn't want any of the readers to believe Biden invited in more than the more accurate number of 7 million illegal aliens who walked in during his 48 months in office...just 146,000 per month.
Good point. I guess the 4mm under Trump's first term should have been brought up as well. Had Covid not existed, perhaps he would have been NUMBER 1 in illegals.
You might consider using another source for your data other than CNN and MSNBC, etc.. official figure on that is 2.6 million under Trump's first administration.... Which is exactly 2.6 million too many. Notably, you didn't bring up Trump's second administration....hmmmm...