Brouhaha over immigration is nothing new

In his 1751 "Observations Concerning the Increase of Mankind," Benjamin Franklin wrote of the "swarm" of German immigrants he feared would make Pennsylvania "a Colony of Aliens."

"Few of their children in the country learn English . . . they begin of late to make all their bonds and other legal writings in their own language, which (though I think it ought not to be) are allowed good in our courts . . .," Franklin wrote in his 1753 "Letters from an American Farmer."

Consternation about immigrations legal and illegal dates back to the earliest days of our country's history and appears to be part of how this country makes and remakes itself.

"Immigration has always been one of the most difficult things we do as a country," said Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's Western region. "No matter what priorities you choose or what choices you make, there are always going to be people who disagree."

Franklin, long considered a pioneer cheerleader of the American Dream, delivered numerous similar statements during early years of the colonies.

"Unless the stream of these people can be turned away from their country to other countries, they will soon outnumber us so that we will not be able to save our language or our government," he wrote.

Franklin's statements reflected concern about the increasing number of German immigrants in America in this country's earliest days.

But compare these to the 2005 comments of Alex Segura of the Utah Minuteman Project.

Segura says illegal immigration is straining social systems from education to health care. But the No. 1 threat he sees from a flood of illegal immigration is crime and gangs, noting that drug dealers and other criminals cross the same border as farm workers.

Another troubling trend, Segura said, is America is also losing its "common bonds" of culture and language.

A survey of historic references shows fears and public outcry about immigration concerns dating back to the early 1700s.

In the early history of the colonies, English dominated the population that included some Scots, Welsh, Irish, Dutch, Swedes and Finns, the French, Germans and Swiss. One wave of Germans and Scots-Irish came between 1710 and 1740, and another from 1760 to 1776.