{"id":7106,"date":"2014-06-27T15:28:09","date_gmt":"2014-06-27T19:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=7106"},"modified":"2018-12-28T14:53:15","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T19:53:15","slug":"business-roundtable-can-we-agree-to-call-a-spade-a-spade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2014\/06\/27\/business-roundtable-can-we-agree-to-call-a-spade-a-spade\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Roundtable, Can We Agree To Call A Spade A Spade?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ActOnImmigration2014ad\"The Business Roundtable ran a full page ad in Politico<\/i> on Wednesday, imploring Congress to pass “immigration reform” in 2014.<\/p>\n

“Our economy needs a modernized immigration system. Our country deserves a modernized immigration system. #ActOnImmigration2014”<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I agree!\u00a0 Americans need and deserve a modernized immigration system<\/a>. \u00a0But the \u201cimmigration reform\u201d this business lobby is pushing isn\u2019t exactly the model of modernity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The United States brings in over 1 million legal immigrants every year \u2014considerably more than any developed nation.\u00a0 But most immigrants are selected based on who they are related to (extended-family), not what they know (skills).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Good, \u00a0hard-working people across the globe are eager to participate in America\u2019s prosperous<\/span>\u00a0free enterprise system, but not everyone\u2019s skills match our needs as a nation<\/a>. It\u2019s up to Congress to decide who gets to come.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The business community is adamant that we need more high-skill labor.\u00a0 But they don\u2019t seem willing to make reductions elsewhere to accommodate this shift towards skills.\u00a0 Instead, they want to pile on yet another visa category, as if the United States\u2019 economy and resources are limitless.<\/span><\/p>\n

If indeed the Business Roundtable wants a modernized immigration system, then they should be challenged \u00a0to push for reform that fundamentally shifts us from a nepotistic to skill-based preference system<\/a> instead of greedily asking for another scoop of ice-cream on top of their generous sundae.<\/span><\/p>\n

If, however, they want to suppress wages<\/a> by importing more of both low and high-skill labor than our labor market <\/a>can support, then their lobbying effort needs to be exposed for what it is. \u00a0The \u201cimmigration reform\u201d 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

We do need a modernized legal immigration system. But the one being pushed by the business lobby is anything but modern and progressive.<\/span><\/p>\n

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