ion Act. Immigration has surged, and one consequence has been that the American ethnic mix has been upset so that the population has dropped from 88.6 percent white in 1960 to 75.6 white in 1990 (Brimelow 30-31). Brimelow further finds that more of these immigrants are availing themselves of welfare participation and are faced with higher poverty rates (Brimelow 32).
Marilyn Lacey sees the present immigration policy as one fraught with xenophobia, something which seems to be part of Brimelow's argument as well, especially as he expresses a growing concern that too many immigrants are non-white. Lacey sees the debate as being shaped by powerful myths about how immigrant outsiders are ruining America. The first of these myths is that immigrants are dragging down the economy, when in fact immigrants have a positive effect on the economy. The newcomers first of all stimulate growth
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