Tony Snow spins massive illegal immigration in Reason Magazine

The lunatic libertarians at Reason Magazine have a special issue about illegal immigration. If you live in a town with 6000 residents, there's a slight statistical chance that one of those people has read it.

One column in the issue is from Tony Snow; whether it was penned before or after him being hired as a Bush administration shill is unknown.

The article is described here, and in it he describes those who want our elected officials to enforce our laws as "neo-Know Nothings". And, he seems to have gotten other things wrong as well, offering a series of very questionable statistics:
Percentage of illegal immigrants who got here by jumping the Mexican or Canadian border: 60. Percent who overstayed their tourist or educational visas: 40.

Percent of illegals who are unemployed: 5.5. Percent who pay income taxes, Social Security and Medicare: 66. Percent who send their children to public schools: 10. Percent who receive food stamps or unemployment assistance: 5. Percent of Latino households that are Spanish-free by the third generation: 80.

Researcher-analyst Steve Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors "a pro-immigrant, low immigration vision," says some of these Reason statistics are a little off. Camarota uses the figure 55 percent for illegals who pay payroll taxes, for instance, and he seriously doubts that only 10 percent of illegals send their kids to public school.
As for the linked column, it's from Pittsburgh Tribune-Review associate editor Bill Steigerwald. If you get a chance, give him a call at (412) 320-7983 or an email at bsteigerwald *at* tribweb.com with some of the painfully obvious reasons why illegal immigration is indeed a crisis.

Comments

It won't take 22 years for America to be ruled by criminals....it already is. The only thing 22 years will do is make it obvious to the knuckleheaded numbnuts who are unable to see it now.

The leaders of the criminal invasion from Mexico and now saying they will rule this country in 20 years. With the help of the elite left wing idiots that are dooming their own children for political purposes they will probably succeed. That means in 22 years the U.S. will be just another sh** hole like Mexico and the rest of the sh** hole countries to the south with criminal leadership. Time to pop a cap on a lot of the criminals and their leadership in the left wing.

thank you John S. Bolton, But we all do know the real cause or do we? after all this guy is working for the ideals of one world enslavement, in the same way hitler did and in the end game he and others will use the weapon of mass population to do mass murder. all nations of ideals and good will, will see hate and death, its the plan of evil. buy guns be free fight for justice in a world of ideals free from the rats.

Also, if there are rational arguments to support his foreign cause, why does he have to use ad hominem, and especially against patriots?

He should not be trusted, especially for saying that only 10% of illegals have children in public school.
Maybe he's pulling some sleight of hand, such as saying that they're only illegals' children if each child of that illegal is also an illegal, and all of them are in public school.
Foreign-born have 20% of the public school enrollment today, even though they're only around 10% of the population. That =2X the national average, so how can illegals be so much lower than the national average, in terms of public school enrollment , as Snow mendaciously claims?
Illegal immigration is massive enhancement of the aggression on the citizenry and the net taxpayer, and it is sheer unreason to take the side of the hostile foreigner against the citizen.

So Snow is a perfect fit for the Bush Administration.

But with the economy growing, unemployment almost nonexistent and crime at 20-year lows, just don't call our immigration problem a national crisis.

All of this can be counter-argued, but with such a focus -- e.g. he completely ignores the 'national question', poverty, etc -- it is likely contacting him would be a complete waste of time. Besides, judging by his foto he is nearing retirement.