The Census predicts the share of immigrants will surge over the next 50 years

*This is fascinating. The percentage of immigrants in the U.S. is going to grow, but that’s becase of a steady increase of immigrants coupled with a steady decline in U.S. birthrate. The percentage is projected to surpass that of the 1890’s. Here’s what’s interesting: becasue of the U.S. Latino birthrate, even with an increase of Latin American immigrants, the percentage of Latino newcomers will actually decrease. All of this, of course, doesn’t factor the identification variable. How will future Latinos identify, and becasue of this, how will they be counted? VL

By Dara Lind, Vox

The US prides itself on being a “nation of immigrants,” but immigrants actually make up asmaller share of the population in America than they do in Australia, Spain, or many other countries. In fact, when it comes to immigration per capita, the US is still below where it was in 1890.

A new Census Bureau projection estimates that in the 21st century, the US will finally surpass the record it hit in the 19th century. In 1890, 14.8 percent of people living in the US were born in another country. The Census Bureau anticipates that the US will hit that point again as soon as 2025 — and that by 2060, as much as 18.8 percent of the US population will be foreign-born.

The prediction isn’t because the Census thinks immigration to the US is going to spike. The Census Bureau assumes immigration will increase gradually, which is in line with what current US policies allow. (Any radical change would require Congress to change legal immigration policy, and the Census Bureau isn’t making any assumptions about whether or when that will happen.)

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