Fewer (but Still a Lot of) Illegal Immigrants

“So, Is Mexican Immigration Over?”, Mark Krikorian, National Review Online:

A new report finds that the number of Mexican immigrants in the United States has declined for the first time since the Great Depression. . . .

That doesn’t mean illegal immigration from Mexico has stopped . . . . But the number of immigrants giving up and going home has indeed increased, and only between 5 and 35 percent of them are estimated to have been deported; the rest left on their own.

In other words, the policy of attrition through enforcement works. This is what Governor Romney meant when he mentioned “self-deportation.”

(Links in original.)

Relatedly, the National Review editors weigh in on the Arizona immigration law (the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on it this week).

Updates (April 27th, 2012): Two more related items:

Mark Krikorian comments in the Corner about the oral arguments before the Supreme Court earlier this week:

The headline quote comes from Justice Sotomayor, who didn’t seem to buy the administration’s argument any more than the more conservative justices. After quoting a particularly meaningless reply to a justice by Verrilli, Hindraker at Powerline added, “that answer was incoherent, obviously, but not because Verrilli is a fool; rather, because the Obama administration’s position is indefensible.” . . .

But what’s struck me most over the past few days is how the Left does not even understand the concept of constitutionalism. They virtually all seem to think that “constitutional” means “a policy I like” and “unconstitutional” means “a policy I don’t like,” which is why they are so appalled at the prospect of losing before the Supremes on Obamacare or S.B. 1070.

—and about the popularity of Arizona’s law:

I figured the open-border crowd’s frenzied attacks on S.B. 1070 would at least soften public support for the bill. But I was wrong.

A Quinnipiac poll of registered voters taken Friday found the public supporting the bill 68–27. Hispanics were split down the middle, which you would never know if you listened just to the Soros/Ford Foundation protuberances who pretend to speak on their behalf. Even more remarkable is the fact that support has been increasing and opposition decreasing; the numbers in February were 64–32, and in November of last year were 61–34. Given that “don’t know/no answer” stayed the same, that means fully 20 percent of those who disapproved of the bill in November have changed their minds.

(Links in originals.)

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