e21 Asks: Should House Republicans Pursue Immigration Reform?
In this week’s e21 Asks poll, we asked readers, “Should House Republicans pursue immigration reform?” Almost half (48 percent) voted that they should since doing so “would boost the economy and create jobs.” The race for second place was close with
“maybe, reform would help the economy but hurt Republicans’ voting base” receiving 18 percent of the vote while “no, reform would increase unemployment for native-born Americans” received 17 percent. “No, reform would distract from Obamacare’s problems” was chosen by 14 percent of readers. Only 3 percent thought House Republicans should pursue immigration reform because it would “help politicians’ appeal.”
We agree with our readers that immigration reform would benefit the economy. Streamlining the immigration process and increasing the number of available visas could go a long way in spurring the job growth necessary to reach four percent GDP growth. Our legal system does not easily allow foreign workers and entrepreneurs to come to America.
Immigrants generally have skills which complement the skills of native-born workers. They disproportionately fund start-ups and take low-skill jobs in agriculture and cleaning services that Americans prefer not to do. The world is engaged in a global race for talent, and if it is difficult for talented immigrants to enter America, they will go elsewhere, to our detriment.
The president’s renewed calls for immigration reform are a welcome sign. The current H-1B visa cap for high-skilled workers of 85,000 a year is not enough to grow the economy. This limit was reached within a week last year.
The United States has the world’s best higher education system. Out of the top 25 world universities, 18 are in the United States. Nineteen percent of global internationally mobile students study in the United States, the highest percent out of any country. By taking the most-qualified students from home or abroad, U.S. universities graduate highly-successful students ready to join the labor force and contribute to the economy.
However, the United States squanders many of the economic gains of educating foreign students because we do not allow these students to stay. Receiving H1-B visas involves a large element of luck. This uncertainty creates disincentives for foreign graduates attempting to work in the United States after graduation.
This is one reason U.S. multinational corporations are creating more jobs overseas than in America. Increasing the H-1B visa cap would allow these companies to shift more operations back home—hiring more native-born Americans as well as immigrants.
Everyone who wants to come and work adds to our economy. For this reason, low-skill immigration should be expanded as well. Last summer the Congressional Budget Office found immigrants create net benefits to the economy. This is because they pay more in taxes than they use in services and they increase economic growth through work and entrepreneurship.
House Republicans recently released their principles for immigration reform, but some members opposed the initiative. Reforming America’s dysfunctional immigration system would enable the economy to grow at a faster pace.
Reducing the barriers to legal immigration would also lower illegal immigration. Last year, the United States deported 369,000 undocumented immigrants—a 900 percent increase from 20 years ago. President Obama has deported almost two million people during his presidency, more than any other president after five years in office.
Many immigrants do not want to become citizens. They are simply looking for opportunities to work, not for ways to cheat the system and receive welfare benefits. For these reasons, immigration reform that grants legal status, but not citizenship, to undocumented immigrants would be an improvement on current immigration law. Individuals would be able to come to the United States to work, and then return to their home countries.
America has always been the land of opportunity. We have benefited from immigrants, and we should welcome those who seek to work here with an efficient immigration system, so that global talent does not go elsewhere.