The wrong immigration debateBy Robert J. Samuelson
Published Sept. 27, 2016
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http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0916/samuelson092716.php3#TxijlixxsbB6XsYE.99WASHINGTON -- The conversation -- or argument -- we've been having on immigration has been remarkably skewed. It's been all about the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, otherwise known as the "undocumented." Actually, what counts far more are the estimated 31 million immigrants who are here legally and the roughly 1 million who gain legal entry every year.
Of course, the question of illegal immigrants is important. As a society, it's intolerable to have so many people living in a legal twilight zone, often despite years of responsible and law-abiding behavior (two-thirds of illegal immigrants have been in the United States for 10 years or more, reports the Pew Research Center). Still, one powerful reason for settling this issue -- to legalize most of those already here and to suppress new illegal flows, even with a wall -- is to move onto larger subjects.
We need an immigration system that gives priority to skilled over unskilled workers, rather than today's policy that favors family preferences for green cards. This sort of system would promote assimilation (because skilled workers have an easier time integrating into the workforce and society), increase economic growth (because skilled workers have higher "value added" than unskilled labor) and reduce poverty (because many unskilled immigrants have incomes below the government's poverty line).
Although we can't easily quantify these benefits, they would promote the greater good for an aging society with a sputtering economy. Anyone who doubts immigration's pervasive influence should examine a massive report issued last week by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It's titled "The Economic and Fiscal Consequences of Immigration." Here are some highlights....
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