There was no welfare state for Ellis Island immigrants to fall back on. Indeed, about a third actually returned home[1]. And a large number were actually turn

There was no welfare state for Ellis Island immigrants to fall back on. Indeed, about a third actually returned home[1]. And a large number were actually turned away after they had arrived here. Today, the situation is very different: if you can’t hack it here, why go back? The state will provide for you, probably much better than you could do if working at home (depending on where you came from). How many of today’s immigrants do you think actually go back? > Why are low-skilled immigrants a net drain on society, but not the low-skilled children or grandchildren of immigrants? Because those children are a sunk cost: they’re already here. Why compound the problem? The demand to come to the US is far too high to simply accept anyone who can make it here. And the fact that a greater percentage of immigrants are accepting welfare vs “natives”[2] indicates that we really are compounding the problem. We should be going almost exclusively for skilled immigration, like Australia does. 1: http://www.exodus2013.co.uk/immigrants-who-returned-home/ http://www.exodus2013.co.uk/immigrants-who-returned-home/ 2: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/09/01/immigrant-welfare-use-report/71517072/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/09/01/immigr...