I materially agree with the editors’ of Bloomberg’s remarks on immigration:
(Bloomberg Opinion) — U.S. immigration policies should be guided by two basic principles. The first is that immigrants are indispensable to American innovation and long-term economic growth. The second is that laws to secure the country’s borders must be rigorously enforced.
So far, so good.
Current law is heavily weighted toward immigrants with family ties, who make up nearly 70% of those who receive legal permanent residence. Another 4% come in through the “diversity lottery,†which awards visas to residents of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S. Of the 1 million green cards awarded in the last year before the pandemic, fewer than 15% were for work-based
To correct this imbalance, the U.S. should adopt a points-based immigration system, similar to those in Canada and Australia, and give preferences to high-skilled immigrants. Those with specialized knowledge, outstanding language skills, and entrepreneurial promise, as well as foreign students who earn advanced degrees in the U.S., should receive highest priority.
which approximates what I’ve been saying for decades.
Attempted border crossings have reached record highs under Biden’s watch. To deal with the crisis, the administration has relied on a World War II-era provision called Title 42, which allows the government to curb immigration during a public-health emergency. Since the spring of 2020, when the Trump administration introduced this practice, the U.S. has expelled more than 1 million migrants from the border without allowing them to claim asylum, a callous practice that violates longtime U.S. policy.
Of course, only a tiny fraction are legitimate asylum-seekers. The overwhelming preponderance, as just about everybody understands, are looking for jobs.
As it happens, the administration has a more effective tool for managing this problem. A Trump-era policy called the Migrant Protection Protocols requires those apprehended at the border to remain in Mexico as they go through the asylum process. The program is flawed, with some applicants having to endure unsafe conditions while waiting for hearings. But it grants migrants legal representation and an opportunity to make their case in front of a U.S. immigration official. Bizarrely, rather than fixing this system and expanding it, the administration is trying to rescind it in court while continuing to enforce Title 42. It should be doing the opposite.
The Biden Administration is still harboring the fantasy that the masses of people trying to get into the United States are “yearning to breathe free” rather than “yearning for a raise”. I doubt they’ll embrace the editors’ suggestions. They’d need to admit they were wrong and abandon the promised permanent Democratic majority which it is now clear will not happen anyway.
The only thing missing from the editors’ prescriptions that would make me happy is a greatly expanded guest worker program. That is what is needed and what many of the people coming here want.
