It's not always the case that doing what's right is also doing what's smart, but when it is, the question of "what to do" should be pretty simple. That's the case with reducing uncertainty for immigrants who are working to contribute to American society, and that's why I am glad to see the granting of administrative relief to certain young immigrants.
Here's why it's the right thing to do. For the young people eligible for relief under the new policy, America is the only home they have ever known. Their whole lives are here, and returning to their countries of origin, where they have few connections and often don't even speak the language, makes little sense for them.
Here's why it's the smart thing to do. Our young immigrants have a lot to offer. They are motivated and hard-working, and in many cases have already contributed significantly to our society -- by excelling in school, by volunteering in their communities, or by serving in the military. We may have high unemployment, but we also have growing numbers of job openings, already in the millions, that remain unfilled because companies can't find the right workers. In many cases, the young people offered relief by this new policy are exactly the workers we most need. The bottom line is that it's a smart move for our economy to keep them here.
We at Year Up are all too familiar with the lose-lose situation that results from deporting people unnecessarily, and in reading about the effects of the Obama administration's new policy the story of one student from our first classes in Boston springs to mind. This student was brought to the U.S. from Colombia as a young child and he and his family were granted political asylum. While their case went through the courts, he grew up in Boston, attended public school, worked hard, met his future wife, and had a child of his own. I remember conducting his admissions interview and learning that he had supported himself through high school by working at Starbucks. He was a star in our program and everyone from our instructors to his supervisors at a major financial institution was impressed by his talent and work ethic. He would undoubtedly have been hired if not for the uncertainty around his immigration status. Shortly after graduation (at which he was the graduation speaker), the courts summarily dismissed the political asylum case (along with thousands of others in a post 9/11 knee-jerk reaction), and instead of gaining the full-time employment he had earned, he went underground -- working odd jobs off the books to support his child. He did, eventually, get caught, and was placed in an immigration detention center before being sent back to Colombia, thousands of miles from his family and community.
Would you consider it a wise move for our country to send a smart, motivated person like that away when our companies are clamoring for more talent like his -- and his specifically? For whom exactly is justice being served there?
As I said, this young man was really talented, and of course he landed on his feet in Colombia and has continued to excel there. But he lost his family in the process, and while he began contributing to the Colombian economy, the financial institution that would have hired him had to look for someone to fill his place. With the new policy set forth by the Obama administration, and hopefully with more permanent action by Congress, we will retain such productive members of society going forward, and in doing so give new hope to these young people and to our economy.