I find it unfortunate that this discussion seems to always shift to race and fairness arguments. I guess it's just an emotional issue. One side gets bent out of shape when illegal immigrants start talking about their "rights" - the other side gets bent out of shape when Americans refuse to acknowledge the direct connection between immigration and economic health.
Do we have any "right" to this land? No, I suppose not. We acquired it in an unfair manner, like most land has been acquired through most of history - stole it from Mexico, in fact, after a preemptive war. (I'm thinking of the American southwest, where I live.) Before and after that, our ancestors stole this land from people who had been living here for thousands of years, and who possessed a much more sustainable way of life, destroyed their culture and murdered most of them. The same is true for most of the people who live in the New World. It is not fair for us to self-righteously claim the land for our own and deny others to live here. All acknowledged. But that isn't the problem. This is the problem:
Projections for total U.S. population in 2050 are now up to 438 million, up from 393 million previous estimate (U.S. Census Bureau and 2008 Pew Research Center study). Roy Beck is not a wonderful person but the numbers are pretty legit.
PRB
Do we all agree that the United States, at 300 million souls, is currently living beyond its ecological means? Do we agree that it will be a challenge to lower our consumption of resources enough so that we are living within those means? Finally: how much more difficult will that challenge be if we add another 135 million to our population? More difficult, or less?