It was a close call, but grass-roots America managed to convince enough Senators to reject S. 1348—the Bush-Kennedy illegal alien amnesty/guest worker bill. The bill, crafted by staffers with the White House, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), Sen. John Kyl (R-Ariz.), and a few others, never enjoyed popular support. The normal committee process was bypassed as its sponsors attempted to force a quick up-or-down vote.

A major reason the bill failed to attract popular support is that it promised legalization for millions of illegal aliens residing in the United States. The mainstream media and government press offices repeated that anywhere from 8 to 12 to possibly 20 million “undocumented workers” (the media’s doublespeak term for illegal aliens) currently reside in the United States.

Vastly Underestimating Illegal Aliens

In fact, the number of illegal aliens living in the U.S. is probably much higher than agreed upon “official estimates.” The Social Contract is privileged, in this issue, to publish essays by immigration experts in different disciplines, all of whom conclude that the illegal alien population may be more than double the official Census Bureau estimates; that the number of illegals entering each year is higher than the Border Patrol and Department of Homeland Security states; and so the costs associated with our illegal alien population , including crime, health care, education, and job market share, must surely be far higher than the public has been lead to believe.

The essays published here were commissioned by Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS), a non-profit, public interest group that focuses on the relationship between population growth and quality of life. We are pleased to be able to assist CAPS in bringing this important report to a national audience.

For more information, visit their website at www.capsweb.org, or contact them at CAPS, 1129 State Street, Suite 3-D, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, phone: 805-564-6626.