Which aliens are the bigger threat?
Wed, 06/13/2007 - 6:25pm
Even using their own highly questionable numbers, anti-immigrant activists may be barking up the wrong tree. What's the bigger threat: illegal aliens, or invasive species? We report, you decide.
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| Mode of entry | Porous U.S. borders | Porous U.S. borders |
| Annual cost to the U.S. taxpayer | Lou Dobbs: $100 billion | $120 billion |
| Estimated population inside the U.S. | Dobbs: Up to 20 million | At least 50,000 distinct species comprising trillions of individuals. 16 invasive plant species alone cover 126 million acres of U.S. land. 80% of U.S. fish populations have been degraded by invasive species. |
| Health threats | WorldNetDaily: Drug-resistant Tuberculosis, Chagas disease, Dengue fever, Polio, Hepatitis A, B, and C | AIDS, Malaria, Typhus, Plague, West Nile virus, Cholera, Mad Cow Disease, Avian Flu |
| Accused of: | Stealing U.S. jobs, living off of the welfare system, and raising crime levels. | Destroying millions of acres of U.S. crops, disabling nuclear reactors, and wiping out endangered species. |
| Number of mentions in the media in the last month, as reported by Google News |
20,693
|
“Invasive Species”
1,291 |
Photos: www.invasive.org; David McNew/Getty Images
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