On April 6, The New York Times reported that nearly half of all poor children in the U.S. are either foreign born themselves or have at least one parent who is foreign born. This foreign-born population includes both legal immigrants and migrants who are living here illegally. This means that the federal government’s endless “war on poverty”–originally intended to aid citizens–is failing even more decidedly now that our open-borders policy has begun packing the country with the poor of all nations.
The article cites several factors that contribute to this situation, such as low wages, lack of education, language barriers, discrimination, and limited access to health care and social services. Many immigrant and migrant families live in overcrowded and substandard housing, often sharing rooms with other relatives or strangers. Some parents work multiple jobs or long hours, leaving their children unsupervised or in the care of unqualified caregivers.
The article points out the long-term consequences of child poverty, such as poor academic performance, behavioral problems, mental health issues, substance abuse, criminal involvement, and chronic diseases. These outcomes not only affect the individual lives of these children, but also the society as a whole.
The article calls for urgent action from the government and the public to address the crisis, but unfortunately none of the possible solutions offered include the most obvious of measures: ie, admitting fewer poor people. Instead, the Times urges Americans to “recognize the value and potential of these children, who represent the future of the nation.” It dwells upon our “moral and economic obligation to ensure that every child, regardless of their background or origin, has a fair chance to succeed.”
As the Heritage Foundation’s Robert Rector told the Times, “The solution is to stop importing poverty.” For the ideology-bound, the most obvious solutions are often the most difficult to grasp.
For more, see Breitbart News.