The Business Roundtable ran a full page ad in Politico on Wednesday, imploring Congress to pass “immigration reform” in 2014.
“Our economy needs a modernized immigration system. Our country deserves a modernized immigration system. #ActOnImmigration2014”
I agree! Americans need and deserve a modernized immigration system. But the “immigration reform” this business lobby is pushing isn’t exactly the model of modernity.
The United States brings in over 1 million legal immigrants every year —considerably more than any developed nation. But most immigrants are selected based on who they are related to (extended-family), not what they know (skills).
Good, hard-working people across the globe are eager to participate in America’s prosperous free enterprise system, but not everyone’s skills match our needs as a nation. It’s up to Congress to decide who gets to come.
The business community is adamant that we need more high-skill labor. But they don’t seem willing to make reductions elsewhere to accommodate this shift towards skills. Instead, they want to pile on yet another visa category, as if the United States’ economy and resources are limitless.
If indeed the Business Roundtable wants a modernized immigration system, then they should be challenged to push for reform that fundamentally shifts us from a nepotistic to skill-based preference system instead of greedily asking for another scoop of ice-cream on top of their generous sundae.
If, however, they want to suppress wages by importing more of both low and high-skill labor than our labor market can support, then their lobbying effort needs to be exposed for what it is. The “immigration reform” they call for may help their bottom lines, but it floods the labor market and is a driving force behind the stagnant wages we are witnessing today.
We do need a modernized legal immigration system. But the one being pushed by the business lobby is anything but modern and progressive.
6 Comments
We must refuse to allow immigrants that do not want to adapt to our culture. It is obvious that the salad bowl version of immigration does not help a culture.
How do u really know?…..have u done your own research in on it?…..really?
I know that FAIR is aware of this, but most other countries have much tougher laws and penalties for illegal entry into their country, and hiring illegals, than we do. Take Japan, which does have the advantage of being an island, but they are very good at interior enforcement, as this info from the US State Department website shows:
JAPAN-SPECIFIC IMMIGRATION GUIDANCE
• Do not violate your visa status. Overstaying your visa or working illegally may lead to fines of several thousands of dollars, and in some cases, re-entry bans can be as long as ten years or indefinitely for drug offenders. If you violate your visa status in Japan, you may be subject to arrest, which can involve several weeks or months of incarceration, followed by conviction and imprisonment or deportation. If you are deported, you will have to pay, in most cases, the cost of deportation, including legal expenses and airfare.
• Do not work in Japan without a work visa. Japanese work visas are not transferable and are issued outside of Japan for a specific job with a specific employer at a specific place of employment. It is illegal for you to work in Japan while in tourist or visa-waiver status. Japanese authorities do not allow foreigners to change their immigration status from visa-waiver status to work status while in Japan. Japanese immigration officers may deny you entry if you appear to have no visible means of support. Please contact the Japanese Embassy or nearest Japanese consulate in the United States for information on what is considered enough financial support.
• You must carry your U.S. passport or Japanese Residence Card (Zairyu Kado) with you at all times so that if questioned by local officials, you can prove your identity, citizenship, and immigration status. Under Japanese law, the police may stop any person on the street at any time and demand to see identification. If you do not have with you either a passport or valid Japanese Residence Card, you are subject to arrest. In accordance with the U.S.-Japan Consular Convention, U.S. consular officers are generally notified within 24 hours of the arrest of a U.S. citizen, if the U.S. citizen requests consular notification.
• There have been no major terrorist incidents in Japan since 1995. However, you should be aware of the potential risks and take these into consideration when making travel plans.
• The Government of Japan maintains heightened security measures at key facilities and ports of entry as antiterrorism precautions.
And lots of liberals are willing to drink the koolaid on this issue and insist that we need this so called “reform”. They disagree with virtually everything big business does, but suddenly when business insists we have some labor shortage they are to be believed on that.
Well Leland u and your party of no the GOP caused All thes e problems….. Including the flux of minors with your tales of amnesty…….. Now deal with it……no reform….soon your neighborhood will he cull of illegals……good for u.!!! Ghhjhjjjjjjj
No matter what names you post under it’s the same drivel. We don’t have a labor shortage, we have a job shortage. But you go ahead and do the work of big business and pretend we do have a labor shortage. They love people like you.