NEW
YORK CITY (By Hubert B. Herring, NYTimes) August 13,
2006 National policy on immigration from the south can
be fairly described as one of passionate ambivalence.
Some Americans may try angrily to seal an unsealable
border, yet many eagerly employ those who make it
across.Amid all the controversy, though, the nation is preparing to celebrate many of its immigrants with Hispanic Heritage Month. It starts Sept. 15.
To mark that occasion, the Census Bureau has offered up a grab bag of statistics, like these: as of July 1, the estimated Hispanic population was 42.7 million, nearly twice the 1990 level; by 2050, it is projected to hit 102.6 million, which would constitute 24 percent of the population. There were 1.6 million Hispanic-owned businesses in 2002, generating $222 billion in revenue.
The difficulties facing that population, though, can be seen in other bits of data: 32.7 percent of Hispanics lacked health insurance in 2004, 21.9 percent lived in poverty, and just 12 percent of those 25 and over had college degrees.
