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U.S. Population to Hit 300 Mil in Fall

As the United States of America grapples with issues concerning illegal immigration, the population of the world?s only superpower is set to hit 300 million people this fall. Driving the continuing growth of the U.S. is both the immigrant and native Latino population of the country, which tends to have more babies and counts for over half of the population growth. Whites, who make up two-thirds of the population of the United States, accounted for only one-fifth of the increase in population.

Today, approximately one in eight Americans is an immigrant, making up 36 million or so people. In 1967, however, the number of Americans born in other countries was less than 10 million, or not even one in twenty. As of this Sunday, the United States of America was home to 299,058,932 people (this according to the Census Bureau?s ?population clock?). It is being estimated that the 300 millionth American will either be born ? or cross the border into America ? sometime in October.

The U.S. population could grow even higher more quickly in the coming months and years if a so-called ?amnesty? plan of President George W. Bush is approved, paving the way to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants currently living and working in the United States today. Opposition to this plan has been strong, but proponents say that deporting the estimated 11 million illegals in America simply doesn?t make sense.