A new National Academy of Sciences report, funded by Congress's U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, claims that immigrants add up to $10 billion to the nation's economy every year. While the report was generally supportive of immigration, flags were raised in some areas.

About 800,000 immigrants enter legally each year, and about 200,000 to 300,000 enter illegally and stay here.

• Wages for native workers without high school diplomas may have fallen 5 percent over the last 15 years because of competition from immigrants -- which would amount to 44 percent of the overall wage decline for this group.

• While new immigrant families tend to receive more in government funded services during their early years here, they pay more in taxes and depend less on government services the longer they stay.

• The average immigrant pays about $80,000 more in taxes over a lifetime than he or she consumes in benefits -- with the taxes by and large going to the federal government and the benefits being paid by state and local governments.

• State and local services cost $25,000 more than the average immigrant pays in state and local taxes over a lifetime, while federal taxes paid exceed federal services provided by $105,000.

If current trends continue, the U.S. population will grow to 387 million by 2050. That is 124 million than the population today. Immigration will contribute to two-thirds of this growth.