01-05 USA - John Bulloch

The third largest nation in terms of population, with 331 million citizens today and projected to grow to 404 million over the next 40 years. A nation that takes in anywhere from one to two million immigrants. But a nation cursed with illegal immigration.

So many developed nations are preparing for shrinking populations and a shrinking tax base that is needed to fund the social programs that support their old folks.
But the USA is not only blessed with reasonable birth rates of 1.8 per female but healthy levels of immigration that runs from one to two million people per year.
So many movies about immigrants from around the world heading to the US where they are inspected at Ellis Island, New York. Remember Vito Corleone of Godfather II.
The USA population today is 331 million and expected to hit 404 million in 40 years. So there is no danger of the US falling behind as an economic power.
The big debate in the US is about illegal immigration and the border wall, to hold back immigrants, mostly from Central America and travelling through Mexico.
There is a substantial Hispanic population in the USA, and they are not all the same. The Spanish spoken in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Cuba are all slightly different. Like Quebec French and Paris French.
My wife and I have spent four winters in California, and the Hispanic people there make everything work. Chefs, carpenters, plumbers and gardeners. All hard working and skilled.
Hispanic birth rates are slightly larger on average, 2.0 to 2.1 per female which makes up for smaller birth rates in the white Anglo majority.
Which brings up the real problem associated with populations that are not growing adequately. Although the US is not facing a shrinking population it is already concerned about a shortage of workers. Not just skilled workers, but workers who cut your grass and serve food at the local restaurant.
And as the world brings a lot of public health spending home because of the pandemic, the big need for workers will be linked to health care spending. A labor crisis facing all the developed nations.
And where are the immigrants of the future coming from? Africa, Asia and Latin America. This reality seems to be fueling a right wing political backlash. Populations issues in the USA are not about surplus labor or labor shortages as much as it is about labor that is non-white.