Wednesday, October 03, 2007

US Hispanic Population Boom called "a blessing" by Pope John Paul II

From the Population Research Institute email:
John Paul II often said that the Hispanic presence in the United States was not a problem or a risk, not menace in any sense, but rather a gift of the Lord, a blessing, and above all a privileged opportunity to the Catholic Church.
No one can any longer ignore the tremendous importance of the Hispanic population in the USA. Demographics are clear on the topic. The Census Bureau points out that there are almost 43 million "Latinos" in the U.S., 26 million of them of Mexican origins, representing about 15 percent of the total population. In 2025 there could be 66 million and by 2050 one-fourth to one-third of the American people could have Hispanic roots.
The Hispanic presence is skyrocketing in the U.S. due to two reasons. Legally or not, more than 500,000 persons immigrate every year mainly from Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Another one-half million failed in this attempt.
A second reason is the higher fertility rates of Hispanics. A significant part of the population growth in this country is because of the many Latino babies. By 2010, 8 of the 13.5 million Hispanic families will have parents under 45 years old representing an important young population sector. Hispanic presence in the economy of the United States is even more impressive. The Hispanic market is growing as fast as its community.
According to the Selig Center, Hispanics are 15 percent of the labor force with the buying capacity of 8.1 percent of the whole USA. Before 2010 this segment is expected to increase by almost 50 percent while the rest of the population is expected to increase by only 28 percent. population and its expressions in arts, cuisine, politics, music, sports or social issues.
I know one reason I'm happy Hispanics are making their mark in the culture. The movie "Bella", which will hit theaters in only three weeks, on October 26.

1 comment:

Michelle McIntyre said...

Leticia,

Of course, legal immigrants are a blessing! I don't think the Holy Father ever encouraged breaking the law to come here. He'd be teaching contrary to the Catechism of the Catholic Church if he did, specifically regarding the section on immigration, and we know he wouldn't do that.

I'm concerned, not only for our country, but for Hispanic illegal immigrants too. Illegal immigrants are a major target for abortion. Standing out there every day during the 40 Days for Life campaign, I see it. There is a disproportionately large number of them entering PP and can't speak English. We see the interpreters arriving frequently.

You know, that I've been saying this for a long time: I think abortion and illegal immigration are very connected to each other. It's a cultural break down. When one commits a grave sin, it leads to other grave sins.

I'm not talking about the usual "since we aborted all these babies since 1973, we have a shortage of workers". As I've pointed out, we also have a shortage of consumers without those people. This is why we still have high unemployment rates in some areas, as well as the fact that we've let our teens be lazy.