Immigration is the least of America's problems

Mexican and Latino janitors hold a candlelight vigil calling for federal immigration reform (AFP)

The benefits of immigration are so evidently clear - and the downsides so evidently overplayed - that it's remarkable how many Americans want fewer immigrants in their country, David Brooks says. If America can't pass a law to reform immigration, including giving a form of citizenship to eleven million illegally resident immigrants, then it really is "a pathetic basket case of a nation."

Here are some of the more quotable and provocative of Brooks's assertions:

"The argument that immigration hurts the less skilled is looking less persuasive."

"Immigrants are doing a reasonable job of assimilating."

"Immigrants, including illegal immigrants, are not socially disruptive. They are much less likely to wind up in prison or in mental hospitals than the native-born."

"Immigrants, both legal and illegal, do not drain the federal budget."

"It’s also looking more likely that immigrants don’t even lower the wages for vulnerable, low-skill Americans."

As ever, it's worth reading Brooks in full.