Immigration in Reverse?

That is the title of yesterday's Washington Post editorial (sans the question mark) about recent trends in illegal immigration. As with many WaPo editorials these days - particularly on education and illegal immigration - this one is borderline non-sensical and is chock full of big numbers that only serve to confuse the issue and gloss over the big problems the editorials purport are solved.

To wit,only WaPo editors could think that the current level of 10.9 million illegal immigrants is an indication that "in fact the border is more tightly patrolled than ever." If that is well guarded, I'd hate to see what a porous border looks like!

Indeed, as the editorial itself notes, "some 11.7 million Mexican-born immigrants, roughly half of them undocumented, are now in this country, down from 12.8 million in 2007 . Most of those who have left have done so of their own accord; comparatively few were deported." In short,the editorial admits that the declining level of illegal immigration isn't because of robust enforcement or vigorous border patrol but of the illegal immigrants' own volition.

The editorial then cites a recent Pew study and bandies about a bunch of large numbers that seem impressive upon first blush but when even moderately scrutinized are middling at best. "Iin the five years ending in 2014, more than 1 million Mexicans (including 100,000 children born in the United States with dual citizenship) returned from the United States to live in Mexico, while 870,000 Mexicans entered the United States, many or most of them illegally," declares the editorial.

Doing some quick math, the supposedly positive sign is hardly a sign at all. Net Mexican immigration has fallen by only 130,000. But that's over the past five years. On an annual basis, the great immigration victory touted by the Post is only 26,000 less illegal Mexicans each year (over the past five years). And as the Post notes but does not highlght, "many or most of them [Mexicans] [entered] illegally." Hardly the stuff of inspiration.

But I always love the WaPo editorials that are wrapped in compassionate liberalism for illegal immigrants but come with a dash of raw capitalism. So it is with the Post's concern that "the U.S. economy, like other Western economies, cannot function without low-wage, low-skill labor, which Mexico has supplied." 

What would a concern about illegal immigration be without a not so subtle nod to the need to exploit this "low-wage, low-skill labor" for the benefit of American companies and consumers.