Summary
Increases in crime and poverty and strains on public services are just a few of the social problems associated with the influx of illegal aliens over the last two decades. These are sometimes said to be analogous to the troubles of slum-filled American cities during the late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century immigration waves, problems which eventually vanished as immigrant families became established, assimilated and wealthy. But there are very good reasons to think that that pattern is not repeating itself today. Look no further than the comprehensive essay "Hispanic Family Values?" by Manhattan Institute scholar Heather MacDonald in the current issue of the City Journal to understand why.
People who think that conservative social values tend to predominate in this largely Hispanic population and therefore should augur for better communities in the long run might be surprised to learn that nearly half the children born to Hispanic mothers in the United States today are born out of wedlock, a rate three times that of whites and Asians and one and a half times that of blacks, in a context of a Hispanic birthrate twice as high as the national average. These factors are destined to sustain a Hispanic underclass for decades unless they begin to change dramatically. That's because out-of-wedlock births are strong predictors of social and behavioral problems, criminal activity, future unemployment and drug abuse, among others.See the full content of this document
Extract
No Silver Lining
"[T]he Hispanic baby boom is certain to produce more juveni...
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