On Immigration, Biden Has Things Backward
A skills-based system with stronger border security would command bipartisan support. What is the U.S. waiting for?
Let’s do better.
Photographer: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
U.S. immigration policies should be guided by two basic principles. The first is that immigrants are indispensable to American innovation and long-term economic growth. The second is that laws to secure the country’s borders must be rigorously enforced.
A system built on these commonsense ideas would promote economic dynamism, boost tax revenue, prevent population decline, and protect national security. It would also command support among a majority of Americans. Unfortunately, the Biden administration’s approach to immigration — both legal and otherwise — has so far been hopelessly muddled. Fixing it should be a top priority in what remains of the president’s term.