I dislike the H1B program because it ties the immigrant to one employer. And the existence of a non-trivial slice of the workforce who are at a bargaining disadvantage because they can't walk if they don't like working conditions undermines the bargaining power of the rest. Make it so once an H1B is here, they have the right to leave their employer and seek other work, without ridiculously short time limits on their stay, and you can sign me up in support.
The (ostensible) point of the remain-in-Mexico policy was to create a deterrent effect against crossings, because crossing and being caught wouldn't allow you to stay in the US. There seems to be at least some truth behind that logic, since crossings are now increasing under an administration that is seen as more lenient. You write that "this is morally unacceptable to the left, because detention equals concentration camps" -- perhaps a solution, then, would be to make them not equal concentration camps?
Right now, we're experiencing a global tourism slump because of a pandemic. Why couldn't the US government buy up a couple of struggling hotels in Mexico and house migrants there, in humane conditions? That would both potentially create a deterrent effect -- and we know Biden is interested in deterring illegal crossings, because he explicitly says "Do not come" -- while also addressing humanitarian concerns about holding people in camps.
Obviously, the long-term solution is to expand legal immigration. But in the short term, we need to find some solution to house migrants more humanely.
1) Maybe Big Tech and the prevalence of H1B visas have changed a lot, but having grown up up in an upper middle class suburb of Seattle and gone to a high school that was 75-80% white and 20% Asian in the mid 2000s these conversations really weren't prevalent. Asian immigrants and their American kids were just our neighbors, we were glad that they came, and there was also the kind of racist humor and outlook that was acceptable 15 years ago and no longer today present as well. The friends and acquaintances that had grandparents that lived through Japanese-American internment provided a lot of context.
2) A lot of what has historically driven mass immigration to the US is exogenous to the US. The Irish Potato famine, massive agricultural crises in Southern Italy and Mexico depending on the century, pogroms in Russia, revolution in Germany or Cuba, etc. We were a stable, rich, and open country people could go to, but the less events like those happen in the world the better off the world is. We should, however, want to stay the top spot for where the smartest people in the world want to be. Which is now mainly India and next Africa.
1) I literally just subscribed after reading your articles for years!
2) I've been arguing the immigration issue from a different perspective. I think we on the left should try and redefine immigration in terms of population growth versus population decline and the economic and international relations implications of both. For example, we could point out how a declining population would slow investment because businesses would look to the future and see declining demand. We could also spend more time discussing the effects of a shrinking population at the city level, or we could focus on its effects on R&D and productivity, which I would love to read an article on.
"America lets in immigrants when it feels confident both culturally and economically; that clearly does not describe the America of 2021"
Maybe not in April 2021, but what about after a year of a post-covid economic boom? Maybe that emboldens the progressives/dems, and softens the moderates and independents. Though the senate math would still be difficult.
America is kind of like the Montreal Canadiens: they want talent but they would prefer the talent has a French-Canadian last name.
Welcome to european style politics.
I dislike the H1B program because it ties the immigrant to one employer. And the existence of a non-trivial slice of the workforce who are at a bargaining disadvantage because they can't walk if they don't like working conditions undermines the bargaining power of the rest. Make it so once an H1B is here, they have the right to leave their employer and seek other work, without ridiculously short time limits on their stay, and you can sign me up in support.
Stupid question:
The (ostensible) point of the remain-in-Mexico policy was to create a deterrent effect against crossings, because crossing and being caught wouldn't allow you to stay in the US. There seems to be at least some truth behind that logic, since crossings are now increasing under an administration that is seen as more lenient. You write that "this is morally unacceptable to the left, because detention equals concentration camps" -- perhaps a solution, then, would be to make them not equal concentration camps?
Right now, we're experiencing a global tourism slump because of a pandemic. Why couldn't the US government buy up a couple of struggling hotels in Mexico and house migrants there, in humane conditions? That would both potentially create a deterrent effect -- and we know Biden is interested in deterring illegal crossings, because he explicitly says "Do not come" -- while also addressing humanitarian concerns about holding people in camps.
Obviously, the long-term solution is to expand legal immigration. But in the short term, we need to find some solution to house migrants more humanely.
A few comments:
1) Maybe Big Tech and the prevalence of H1B visas have changed a lot, but having grown up up in an upper middle class suburb of Seattle and gone to a high school that was 75-80% white and 20% Asian in the mid 2000s these conversations really weren't prevalent. Asian immigrants and their American kids were just our neighbors, we were glad that they came, and there was also the kind of racist humor and outlook that was acceptable 15 years ago and no longer today present as well. The friends and acquaintances that had grandparents that lived through Japanese-American internment provided a lot of context.
2) A lot of what has historically driven mass immigration to the US is exogenous to the US. The Irish Potato famine, massive agricultural crises in Southern Italy and Mexico depending on the century, pogroms in Russia, revolution in Germany or Cuba, etc. We were a stable, rich, and open country people could go to, but the less events like those happen in the world the better off the world is. We should, however, want to stay the top spot for where the smartest people in the world want to be. Which is now mainly India and next Africa.
1) I literally just subscribed after reading your articles for years!
2) I've been arguing the immigration issue from a different perspective. I think we on the left should try and redefine immigration in terms of population growth versus population decline and the economic and international relations implications of both. For example, we could point out how a declining population would slow investment because businesses would look to the future and see declining demand. We could also spend more time discussing the effects of a shrinking population at the city level, or we could focus on its effects on R&D and productivity, which I would love to read an article on.
Very interesting a d quite the opposite take to David Frum and Andrew Sullivan. Both worry about the “surge” in asylum seekers.
"America lets in immigrants when it feels confident both culturally and economically; that clearly does not describe the America of 2021"
Maybe not in April 2021, but what about after a year of a post-covid economic boom? Maybe that emboldens the progressives/dems, and softens the moderates and independents. Though the senate math would still be difficult.