Expansionist policies are unpopular, but why?

Pamela Denise Long views mass immigration as part of a larger betrayal of Black Americans, and Darvio Morrow piles on:

From support for educational equality and freedom of speech to opposition to defunding the police and mass immigration, we Black voters hold views on a number of issues that many white progressives would consider “problematic.” This disconnect between white progressives and Black people often leads to political outcomes that are in conflict with the desires of the very people that the woke are ostensively [sic] claiming to help.”

Robert Law says just as the Build Back Better amnesty will harm marginalized workers, the immigration increases in the bill are targeted at white-collar jobs:

The clear winner here is Big Tech and other corporations that routinely discriminate against American workers by exploiting several loopholes in the H-1B program.”

Mark Thies, Ph.D. says the sheer numbers in the expansion package would put working-class Americans at a disadvantage while deteriorating quality of life for all but the most insulated Americans:

Schools are already overcrowded, especially for young children. California, for instance, would need to build a new school every day for five years to provide class sizes of 15-19 students. Over the next 50 years, immigration is set to account for 96 percent of the increase in school-age children.

Mass migration is making life more difficult — and expensive — for working-class citizens. Just like everyone else, migrants need a roof over their heads — so they compete against low-income Americans for our scarce supply of rental housing. Nationally, the median rent has surged over 16 percent since January, in part because of competition from new arrivals….

….more people mean more cars, gas or electric, creating more traffic and more emissions (electric cars pollute too — albeit at the power plant, rather than the tailpipe). More development requires the clearing of woods and fields to make way for pavement and parking lots. Federal data shows that around 90 percent of open space lost in the past decade — both urban and rural — can be attributed to population growth. Yes, more and more of our unique outdoor heritage is being lost.

This sprawl comes with serious environmental and health consequences, threatening wetlands critical for clean water and flood protection as well as harming endangered species.”

There is no labor shortage. U-3 unemployment is higher now than before the pandemic, and the labor force participation rate is lower.

JEREMY BECK is the Director of the Sustainability Initiative for NumbersUSA