As I see it, the problems with our immigration system are seemingly infinite. Often making what seems like common sense solutions anything but common sense. As the needs of the American Industrial complex change, the question of how we address 21st century problems -- using an outdated and ill-equipped 20th century apparatus -- is not only daunting, it is crippling to the growth of which we are capable. Somehow the idea of immigration finds itself awkwardly polarized. Either we’re discussing families torn apart by citizenship or the minutia of business. Be it workers and output, resource consumption, productivity and return on investment, as if they must be mutually exclusive and our immigration system could not address all needs.
Immigration is a story of people, but it is so much more. It is families-- like mine -- that can trace the roots of their American identity a single generation. It is millions with whom the notion of the American Dream still resonates powerfully. Like all Americans, they connect with it as a part of their hopes for the future and the future of their children. Unlike those of us who are born citizens, they are the millions whose lives hang on the tenuous threads of tattered policy, frayed by the partisanship of Congressional agendas. In this bicameral story, somewhere there is a workable solution; one that puts the priority of family where it should be and, supports it with means and access to opportunity and industry.
I learned at a very young age that being an American made you different. I was 7 the first time I traveled to my father’s native country. I had no idea what a Green card was, only that I was supposed to have one – or so the flight attendant on our returning flight kept demanding of me. My father, a then permanent resident, presented his and curtly explained that I was an American. They promptly whisked us off to a different line. The customs agents were friendlier, more dutiful, and more respectful, than the gruff man badgering me for a Green card I did not have. Though I lacked the words to vocalize it then, there was a lesson in that awkward encounter that stuck with me for life. Through that experience, I have understood much of what my father instilled in all of his children. The appreciation of opportunity, an understanding that talent maybe equally distributed but access was not and, there was an obligation to do something with what you were given.
I make no secret about my father’s story and the sense of pride I feel in telling and retelling it as often as I can. It is inspiring to me to know that a man who came to this country with a near genius IQ, a suitcase full of towels, slept on newspapers and, swept floors could become MY DAD! My Dad; who taught us that education was the best way to level the playing field. He not only modeled, but, embodied work ethic, diligence and, dedication. My Dad, who taught us that success is measured both in dollars and legacy. It is no wonder that, by the time, my father retired from one of the largest technology companies in the world, he was literally the only person who did his job on any shore. Nor does it shock me --when 28% of all new businesses that start in the US are by immigrants-- that all four of his children became business owners, each contributing in measurable and meaningful ways to our economy in tax dollars, jobs and, innovation.
My families’ story is not remarkable among our immigrant population. Rather, it is quite the opposite. The unremarkable reality of what many share as their families’ history. As think tanks and pundits dissect and pontificate, the realities of the immigration debate are felt more acutely than ever. We are seeing the emergence of foreign markets as stronger competitors than they have ever been. We are watching the world shrink into a global economy fueled by new technology and radical solutions to existing challenges. We are losing those talents to markets where policy is reflective of economic priorities.
Too often is the debate over simplified; Low Skilled versus High Skilled immigrants*, H-1B visas and the hope of closing the skills gap. Trying to lessen the inequalities of immigration and shore up that the best and brightest talent is still looking to immigrate to the US, gets lost in percentages and pie charts. Confining the face of immigration to migrant workers or Latinos is misleading and, the idea that immigrants somehow take jobs from American workers could not be further from the truth. It makes for great fiction and pairs perfectly with pandering fear, but it is hardly reality. Reality is that with a working immigration policy, for low skilled, high skilled and even transitionally skilled populations, we increase overall productivity. We add vital components to our economic stability and countless dollars of valued added expansion, growth, revenue and build long term profitability.
It appears that our Congress is too busy reading demographic and pollster data to see the forest for the trees. My father’s story serves to illustrate how misleading those characterizations can be. Because my father had the opportunity to further his education, get married, have children, buy a home - legally, instead of returning to his native country -which was his original plan- he remained in the US. His one visa translated into millions of dollars flowing into the economy over his lifetime and those of my siblings and me.
Immigration is a story of people, but it is so much more. It is families-- like mine -- that can trace the roots of their American identity a single generation. It is millions with whom the notion of the American Dream still resonates powerfully. Like all Americans, they connect with it as a part of their hopes for the future and the future of their children. Unlike those of us who are born citizens, they are the millions whose lives hang on the tenuous threads of tattered policy, frayed by the partisanship of Congressional agendas. In this bicameral story, somewhere there is a workable solution; one that puts the priority of family where it should be and, supports it with means and access to opportunity and industry.
I learned at a very young age that being an American made you different. I was 7 the first time I traveled to my father’s native country. I had no idea what a Green card was, only that I was supposed to have one – or so the flight attendant on our returning flight kept demanding of me. My father, a then permanent resident, presented his and curtly explained that I was an American. They promptly whisked us off to a different line. The customs agents were friendlier, more dutiful, and more respectful, than the gruff man badgering me for a Green card I did not have. Though I lacked the words to vocalize it then, there was a lesson in that awkward encounter that stuck with me for life. Through that experience, I have understood much of what my father instilled in all of his children. The appreciation of opportunity, an understanding that talent maybe equally distributed but access was not and, there was an obligation to do something with what you were given.
I make no secret about my father’s story and the sense of pride I feel in telling and retelling it as often as I can. It is inspiring to me to know that a man who came to this country with a near genius IQ, a suitcase full of towels, slept on newspapers and, swept floors could become MY DAD! My Dad; who taught us that education was the best way to level the playing field. He not only modeled, but, embodied work ethic, diligence and, dedication. My Dad, who taught us that success is measured both in dollars and legacy. It is no wonder that, by the time, my father retired from one of the largest technology companies in the world, he was literally the only person who did his job on any shore. Nor does it shock me --when 28% of all new businesses that start in the US are by immigrants-- that all four of his children became business owners, each contributing in measurable and meaningful ways to our economy in tax dollars, jobs and, innovation.
My families’ story is not remarkable among our immigrant population. Rather, it is quite the opposite. The unremarkable reality of what many share as their families’ history. As think tanks and pundits dissect and pontificate, the realities of the immigration debate are felt more acutely than ever. We are seeing the emergence of foreign markets as stronger competitors than they have ever been. We are watching the world shrink into a global economy fueled by new technology and radical solutions to existing challenges. We are losing those talents to markets where policy is reflective of economic priorities.
Too often is the debate over simplified; Low Skilled versus High Skilled immigrants*, H-1B visas and the hope of closing the skills gap. Trying to lessen the inequalities of immigration and shore up that the best and brightest talent is still looking to immigrate to the US, gets lost in percentages and pie charts. Confining the face of immigration to migrant workers or Latinos is misleading and, the idea that immigrants somehow take jobs from American workers could not be further from the truth. It makes for great fiction and pairs perfectly with pandering fear, but it is hardly reality. Reality is that with a working immigration policy, for low skilled, high skilled and even transitionally skilled populations, we increase overall productivity. We add vital components to our economic stability and countless dollars of valued added expansion, growth, revenue and build long term profitability.
It appears that our Congress is too busy reading demographic and pollster data to see the forest for the trees. My father’s story serves to illustrate how misleading those characterizations can be. Because my father had the opportunity to further his education, get married, have children, buy a home - legally, instead of returning to his native country -which was his original plan- he remained in the US. His one visa translated into millions of dollars flowing into the economy over his lifetime and those of my siblings and me.
Where the narrative is seemingly lacking, is where the heart of the immigration debate lies. It is not just raw data and pure numbers; it is the reminder of what that data means, how those numbers affect actual lives, not figurative examples. It is in the complexity of navigating a sea of people without them becoming faceless. It is upholding the Constitution and the legacy of Ellis Island and, understanding that in accomplishing that delicate balance is the hope for the revitalization of our economy and, the restoration of our economic security.
America is an immigrant nation fueled by the tangibility of attaining more than the previous generation. Refusing to address immigration or create a policy that pours new economic life into our nation, relegates us to celebrating the best of America as years gone by and not the promise of our future. Addressing the uncertainty of the future requires that we are willing to secure it. Securing the economic future of America is not in border control alone. It may very well rest in the hands of those who cross her borders determined to fulfill the promise and the dream.
*Please click on the link for additional information on how immigration
(low and high skilled) impacts the US economy.
(low and high skilled) impacts the US economy.
