If you were determining who could immigrate here, would you let in those you thought would contribute the most to our country or those most in need of refuge?
*Note: This is the first of many posts I will be making entitled "Life Questions". Generally, these posts will be shorter than my regular posts. These questions come from a book I have entitled The Book of Questions. See it here. The sole purpose of this book and my blog is to stimulate conversation. Please feel free to write your comments in the section below, however short or long you'd like!
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The best solution would be to have some of both – immigrants who could bolster our economy and those in serious need of refuge. Because our immigration laws are so convoluted and dysfunctional, our system that doesn’t allow many people from either category in. Ideally, I’d like to see all immigrants who study at an U.S. college or university and who have earned a graduate degree the opportunity to remain in America. Too often we educate immigrants in our finest institutions, simply to turn them away after graduation. They return to their home country (often in Asia) to start a new business, innovate or invent. It’s wonderful that the U.S. still has the finest institutions of higher education in the world, but I’m afraid that won’t last long if we continue to send the best and brightest immigrants back home. If this trend continues, precocious Chinese students will decide to stay in China rather than coming to the U.S. This would be terrible for the United States.
With regard to the issue of refuge, I believe that the United States has a responsibility to provide refuge for those in need. It’s easy to say that the U.S. should accept all refugees, but this isn’t realistic. It’s probably impossible to make any comprehensive and objective requirements for the conditions that the refugees must be escaping from in order to enter our country. Therefore, it must be treated on a subjective basis. This is quite frustrating because it will make enforcement difficult. Regardless, the bottom line is that some refugees will not be allowed into our country legally.
Simply put, the issue of immigration shouldn’t be ignored. Not only has it literally built our nation, but it continues to be one of the most important drivers of the economy. Without it, we would have very modest population growth – like most European countries. I think the Obama Administration would have tried to tackle the immigration issue after health care if it hadn’t inherited such a terrible economy and been impeded by Congress. In the end, there is no easy solution. If one existed, we’d have already found it.
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