Strong immigration bill is needed to stem the onslaught

Thursday, March 21, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

There have been too many instances of the Congress voting against the people's wishes. Polls show the people were against NAFTA and against the bailout of Mexico. Most people don't want Social Security funds to be used for government expenses and don't want U.S. troops to be used for United Nations policing.

An issue of great impact on our economy today is immigration. Some astounding facts are: Immigration adds 1.5 million annually in population. After subtracting taxes that immigrants pay, immigration costs taxpayers more than $44 billion annually. In 1993, immigrants received an estimated $1.37 billion more in Social Security benefits than they paid into the system.

The immigration reform acts passed in 1965, 1986 and 1990 are not working. Illegal immigration is out of control and foreigners are not assimilating. We are seeing a polarization of races -- enclaves of foreign cultures and languages with lower educational levels and lower earnings levels.

Less than 10 percent of the public supported the 1990 Immigration Act. It was given little media attention. Today, again, Congress is working on an immigration bill. We need to have them know that Americans want a strong reform -- even a moratorium -- on immigration.

Katreen Romanof