Immigration Reform: Building Fences With Shadows or Bridges of Hope and Dreams?
Posted: 06/11/2013 5:00 pm
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Bruce Lesley |
The Southwest is a place of great opportunity, enchantment, and grandeur, and yet, also a place of poverty and inequality in the United States. Through its children, it is also a place that will play an expanding and critically important role in either the successes or failures of our nation. In fact, the border region (defined here as the seven states of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado) accounts for:
• Nearly 30 percent of America's children;
• More than 90 percent of the last decade's (2000-2010) increase in our nation's child population;
• More than half of America's Hispanic child population;
• Nearly one-third of American Indian and Alaskan Native children in the United States; and,
• More than 40 percent of America's Asian child population.
• More than 90 percent of the last decade's (2000-2010) increase in our nation's child population;
• More than half of America's Hispanic child population;
• Nearly one-third of American Indian and Alaskan Native children in the United States; and,
• More than 40 percent of America's Asian child population.
We can make the right investments now to take advantage of the region's greatest resource, our nation's children, or we can fail them and our future. It is our choice to make and now is the time.
Unfortunately, we presently are doing quite poorly by these kids. Using data over 16
Bruce Lesley: Immigration Reform: Building Fences With Shadows or Bridges of Hope and Dreams?: