Will U.S. population reach one billion?

• Position: YOUR LIFE

Sometime later this year, the 300 millionth American is projected to be born. If the current effort by Pres. George W. Bush and leaders of Congress to adopt a massive increase in immigration is successful, that 300 millionth individual could witness the arrival of the 500 millionth American about the time he or she turns 44 years old, says a report published by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Washington, D.C. It reveals that immigration policy decisions that are made (or not made) in Congress this year could vary the size of the mid-century population of the U.S. by as many as 135,000,000 people.

"Projecting the U.S. Population to 2050," authored by FAIR's research director Jack Martin and statistician Stan Fogel, examines four population scenarios over the next 45 years, based on various immigration policy choices. Because of decades of high levels of immigration, even a policy of zero net immigration--where incoming immigrants balance those leaving or dying--still will result in an increase of 66,000,000 people, or about 22% growth, by 2050. On the other end of the scale, a de facto amnesty or guest worker program for the estimated 12,000,000 illegal aliens now living in the U.S., coupled with a legal immigration policy that allows them to reunify with family members now outside the country, will push U.S. population to the half-billion mark by mid century and to about 1,000,000,000 by the end of the 21st century.

"The incredible enormity of the consequences of the policies Congress is debating right now is not fully appreciated by them or by the...