In 1970, Americans began to downsize their families while Congress began to increase immigration rates.

If congress had sustain or limited immigrations rates, Americans would be leading a much less congested life along with a slower rate of infrastructure build up. Is this what the people wanted? (Numbers USA: About These Charts)

• Senator Gaylord Nelson announced that in the spring of 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots movement on behalf of the environment. His hope was to capture the anti war movement and turn it into something that would bring the environment into the political arena. (EnviroLink:How the First Earth Day Came About)

• Environmental experts began to express the nation would not be able to reach their goal without stabilizing the population at around 203 million. (Numbers USA: About These Charts)

• Major laws were passed, agencies established and billions were spent to meet the environmental goals. (Numbers USA: About These Charts)

• The baby boom ended in 1972 as the American people lowered their birth rates to allow the population size to stabilize. (Numbers USA: About These Charts)

• In addition, the 70s started to see the number of legal immigrants rise. This increase is the results of a 1965 change in the law know as the “Immigration and Naturalization Act.” (Numbers USA: About These Charts)

• According to a NPR article, Karen Narasaki, who heads the Asian American Justice Center said it was not what the American people wanted. She found that the 1965 immigration overhaul a project of the political elite – and not what the people wanted. (Ludden)

• President Kennedy’s original proposal made skills-based immigration the priority. However, lobbyist pushed for an emphasis on families, which included churches, ethnic groups and the AFL-CIO. (Ludden)

• The emphasis on family has taken the decision of who enters the United States from congress and the American people and into the hands of immigrants. (Ludden)