Mass immigration damages U.S. culture, economy

Tibetan independence from China is a popular cause in the U.S. Fashionable among actors and musicians, it's outspoken supporters range from Russell Brand to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. "Free Tibet" advocates raise a legitimate concern; that Tibet's unique character will vanish beneath a massive wave of immigrants from China.
"The burgeoning Chinese migrants in Tibet, including many with criminal records," says an Aug. 7, 2010 Tibet Today column, has left Tibet's "cultural values and social stability in jeopardy." Freetibet.org says the movement is dedicated to protecting Tibet's distinct "culture, history and identity" from being "irrevocably eroded."
Tibet isn't the only country facing this problem. For example, indigenous British citizens are expected to become minorities in large cities like Birmingham and Leicester during the 2020s, according to an April 10 article in The Telegraph. However, British natives who object to this, rather than enjoying the support of Sharon Stone or Gorillaz, are labeled as bigots.
We see this same disconnect in America, where census projections show that Americans of European descent will account for a minority of children under 18 in just 15 years, due largely to immigration. Americans who make the same appeals to "culture, history and identity" that we find acceptable from Tibetans are dismissed as hatemongers.
Ironically, many defenders of large-scale immigration empathize with the struggle of American Indians against European settlement. I agree that the losses suffered by American Indians were terrible, but this seems to be an argument against mass immigration, not for it. Writes Comanche activist David Yeagley in an Oct. 15, 2002 column: "America today is making the same mistake we Indians made nearly four centuries ago. America is letting in too many foreigners."
A December 2006 study in the U.S. National Library of Medicine found a correlation between culture loss and suicide. Ethical or not, most humans are healthier and happier when they associate with people similar to themselves. As former Harvard professor Samuel Huntington said, "The persistent inflow of Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures and two languages." This level of division has lead to violent conflicts around the world.
Mass immigration puts an enormous strain on American taxpayers. Immigrants receive a disproportionately large amount of housing subsidies, food stamps and free medical care. According to a report released this week by the Center for Immigration Studies, 57 percent of immigrant households receive welfare. Specifically, 70 percent of illegal immigrant households receive welfare.
Granting amnesty to 10 million illegal immigrants would add a net cost of $16 billion a year in welfare, according to a June 5, 2006 Human Events column. The problems with America's welfare system are already myriad; a June 25, 2010 article in the LA Times reported that, in 2009, California welfare recipients spent $1.8 million on casino chips.
Assuming current trends continue, America's population will double to 550 million in the next 65 years. If you're a proponent of large-scale immigration, ask yourself: when was the last time you were driving on a highway and wished there were more people on the road?