Immigrants are valuable contributors to our economy and society, and they are human beings deserving of respect and dignity. They contribute in a variety of ways, so we can help ourselves by making legal immigration easier for promising candidates.
DREAMERS: Passage of the DREAM Act is long overdue. These children have only ever known the United States as their home. We have invested so much in them and it is time to provide them with a path to citizenship so that they can be productive members of society without living in constant fear.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Immigrants start new businesses at a higher rate than native-born citizens. If we want entrepreneurs, we need more legal immigrants.
TAXES: Americans are living longer and having fewer children. That means we will have increased medical costs but a smaller tax base. Legal immigration can offset this by bringing in young, healthy workers who pay taxes.
LABOR: We have a need for both high-skilled and low-skilled workers, and we do not always fill this need with natural-born citizens. Legal immigration can make up the difference.
In certain professions, such as medical doctors, we do not produce enough high-skilled workers to meet demand. Legal immigrants with compatible education and certification can help fill this gap.
Low-skilled labor that Americans are unwilling to do, such as agricultural picking, is vital to the country. Immigrants are more than willing to take these jobs and American companies are desperate to hire them, legally or illegally
GUEST WORKERS: Sometimes, our need for workers and immigrants desire for American work are both temporary. We can expand guest worker programs to make them easier for companies to use, allowing immigrant workers to legally come to the US, work for a while, and then return to their home country after their job is completed.
CHILDREN: Children brought to this country through no fault of their own, who are contributing members of society and do not have a criminal record, should be allowed a path to citizenship. We have already invested so much time, effort, and money into these children, it is beneficial to both them and us to allow them to continue being contributing members of society.