Immigration rant isn’t based on facts — Mark Condon | Opinion

Kelly Ruh’s guest column last Sunday, “Democrats fuel illegal immigration,” demonstrates Republican use of anecdotes and exaggerations rather than facts to scare people.

The population of undocumented people in the United States rose during the 1990s, but peaked a decade ago and has remained flat or declined ever since. An increase in Central Americans refugees fleeing violence has been more than offset by a decline in Mexicans as the Mexican economy has improved because of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Republican politicians rarely connect the dots between public policies dealing with foreign policy, economic and trade policies, and immigration. Rather, they appeal to fears and anxieties instead of facts and reason to win elections.

Democrats advocate immigration reform and joined with Republicans and passed a Senate bill years ago that died in a Republican-controlled House ruled by the extremists in the Freedom Caucus.

President Donald Trump prefers the Canadian and Australian immigration models. But both countries have strong provisions for temporary workers, which we don’t, and so immigrants comprise a far greater percentage of their population. Again, facts matter.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, is the model of reason and fact-based analysis. Republican Leah Vukmir has climbed aboard Trump’s train that runs on a rickety track of nonsensical bombast.

Mark Condon, Madison