Countries across\nthe globe are struggling to maneuver the economic destruction caused by the Coronavirus\npandemic. One country has taken the initiative to strengthen its immigration\nlaws to preserve employment opportunities for its citizens during a strained\nlabor market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To counter an anticipated wave of mass migration in the event Coronavirus recedes, the Senate of Chile passed a bill<\/a> that overhauls the South American country\u2019s immigration system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A condition of the legislation<\/a> tightens Chile\u2019s legal immigration system, requiring that migrants demonstrate their work qualifications and must have a visa to enter. The bill also increases criminal penalties on illegal aliens residing in Chile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nimpetus to introduce this bill came after Chile\u2019s Department of Migration released\na report projecting that up to 250,000 migrants may arrive each year once the virus\nhas slowed. The South American country\u2019s economic success and general safety have\nalready attracted many foreign nationals from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Peru.\nSince 2014, one million migrants have entered Chile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The legislation still requires the signature of Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, a staunch supporter of the bill. President Pinera has urged the legislative bodies to accelerate the bill\u2019s passage since this summer. He has been a firm opponent to open borders and has a history of pushing for stronger immigration policies. In 2018, Pinera\u2019s Interior Ministry told reporters<\/a> after refusing to sign a migration pact drafted by the United Nations, \u201cWe have said that migration is not a human right. Countries have a right to determine the entry requirements for foreign citizens.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pinera also pushed the bill for public safety reasons. He has addressed concerns about Chile\u2019s lax immigration policies resulting in criminal aliens entering. Organized crime and drug trafficking by aliens have been recurring problems<\/a> in the country since the 1970s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Conversely,\nin the United States, President-elect Joe Biden’s strategy<\/a> to\ncombat the economic devastation caused by Covid-19 makes no mention of reducing\nimmigration as a method to alleviate the labor market for unemployed Americans.\nAccording to a FAIR report<\/a>, Biden’s immigration plan could eventually bring an estimated\n50 million immigrants (legal and illegal) to the United States in the coming\ndecades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chile has acted to implement sensible immigration reform, in a time when a global pandemic has claimed jobs from some 1.8 million jobs. The United States must also act to protect its citizens\u2019 interests by securing the border and keeping in place<\/a> its asylum agreements with Mexico and the Northern Triangle. These arrangements alone halt thousands of economic migrants from entering the United States and obtaining jobs that could go to struggling Americans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally,\nthe U.S. should shift to a merit-based immigration system. Determining entry\nqualifications by work ability and education would fortify the American economy.\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n If the\nPresident-elect and Congress are serious about properly addressing\nunemployment, they should prioritize the interest of American workers. The last\nthing they should be doing is throwing open doors to mass illegal and legal\nmigration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Countries across the globe are struggling to maneuver the economic destruction caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. One country has taken the initiative to strengthen its immigration laws to preserve employment opportunities for its citizens during a strained labor market. To counter an anticipated wave of mass migration in the event Coronavirus recedes, the Senate of<\/p>\n