This Republican President is anti-immigration, as a matter of fact, Trump's only solutions are walls and deportation. But it wasn't always like this for the Republican Party- another President had good ideas about immigration policy. That president was President George W. Bush, but unfortunately he didn't get a chance to realize his dreams for immigration reform- because he got bugged down with three wars; in Afghanistan, in Pakistan and in Iraq.
We can read President George W. Bush ideas, thoughts and appreciation for immigrants are listed in "A Nation Built by Immigrants"- an online site created by the George W. Bush Institute, which is dedicated to making Americans aware of the contributions that immigrants have made. The site has also a section titled: Debunking Immigration Myths (or misconceptions, wrong ideas) that people have about immigrants.
I suggest that Trump's aficionados read them because they are solutions based on good economic and moral sense. Here is five recommendations that the George W. Bush Institute makes.
1. Keep Our Labor Force Vibrant Through Immigration. U.S. natives are not having enough children to replace our current population, and by extension, our labor force. A shrinking population and labor force will cause our economy to contract. More immigrants are needed to keep our population, labor force, and economy vibrant and growing.
2. Move to Skills-Based Immigration. Our current immigration system is overwhelmingly based on family reunification. Other developed economies, like Canada and Australia, admit immigrants primarily based on skills and education. Shifting the priority to a skills-based immigration system would allow us to get the workers we need to drive economic growth while maintaining the important family reunification component.
3. Overhaul the temporary work visa system. For many temporary worker visa categories, the current system is inadequate. The caps are too low to meet market demand. The process is too burdensome to make using the legal visa system worthwhile. And some categories, like seasonal agricultural worker visas, do not meet the needs of the employers seeking workers.
4. Find a reasonable solution for the undocumented. Nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants and their families live and work in the U.S., contributing significantly to our economy. Deporting all of them is impractical, expensive, and inhumane. A reasonable solution allowing law-abiding undocumented immigrants to live and work here legally is imperative in any serious immigration reform.
5. More legal opportunities create a more secure border. The U.S. has open jobs. Immigrants come here to fill those jobs. More legal opportunities to immigrate reduces the incentive to cross unlawfully or overstay a visa. With fewer unauthorized entries to pursue, our immigration enforcement resources can focus on the real criminals.
Someone close to President Trump should show him these ideas because they're practical, humane and economically sound, and they could make our country truly great if they were applied.
Ottavio Lo Piccolo
Sch'dy NY
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