We need more legal immigration, not less: Guest opinion

The Oregonian - The guest opinion by Elizabeth Van Staaveren uses claims of runaway population growth to urge a moratorium on immigration for an extended period.  This amounts to nothing more than fear mongering.

Baby boomers, those Americans born between 1946 and 1964, number 77 million, nearly one quarter of the U.S. population. This vast segment of our population is beginning to retire - the first of the baby boomers turned 65 in 2011.  Retiring baby boomers in the coming decades will create unprecedented challenges to our economy, and immigrants and the children of immigrants will play a key role in helping us succeed as a nation.  Americans 65 and older will make up nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population by 2030, compared with 13.1 percent in 2010.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that 33.7 million job openings will arise from the need to replace workers who retire or move to different occupations between 2010 and 2020. Current birthrates and current levels of immigration combined will not keep up with the increase in percentage of the elderly population, and legal immigration will need to be increased to fund Social Security and Medicare, to replace retiring workers, and provide healthcare to the elderly.  Increased immigration cannot singlehandedly save Social Security and Medicare, which are projected to become insolvent in the next two to three decades, but it can help. 

Immigration has always played a key role in U.S. economic growth. Immigration is part of our national identity. Immigrants fill labor shortages, create businesses, and contribute to the tax system. In Oregon, immigrants make up nearly 10 percent of the total population, constitute 10.7 percent of business owners and have generated $1.1 billion in annual business income.  Instituting a legalization program for Oregon’s undocumented population will create 6,700 additional jobs and generate in excess of $492 million for Oregon by 2020, according to REMI. Creating a roadmap to citizenship and expanding high-skilled visa programs as proposed by S. 744 and H.R. 15 would add $293 million to Oregon’s gross state product in 2014.

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