James Madison once wrote, "America was indebted to immigration for her settlement and prosperity. That part of America which had encouraged immigration most had advanced most rapidly in population, agriculture and the arts."
It's no wonder that New York City became the economic epicenter of the United States, and has been ever since. Over the past two centuries, our incredible diversity and the people who flocked here from around the world have given us a priceless competitive edge. I see it everyday in the faces of our educators, entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, artists, and activists across New York's 14th District, from the East Village and Upper East Side to Astoria. This city of immigrants is the most vibrant in America, and arguably the most influential economy in the world.
That's why, as we emerge from the Great Recession, revamping our broken immigration system is more important than ever. Congress must work with the President to overhaul our immigration policies, which have resulted in turning away the best and brightest from our shores, endangering our security, and hurting our families. We don't need more promises that immigration reform will be addressed in the future. We need elected officials and advocates to roll up their sleeves and work together now, for the sake of our competitiveness, our national security, and our city.
The immigration reform plan that I will champion in Congress will achieve four crucial policy goals.
First, my plan for immigration reform will create jobs and spur innovation by removing restrictive barriers for highly skilled entrepreneurs to start companies and hire American workers. From 1995 to 2005, over 25 percent of technology companies started in the US had a key immigrant founder. These companies generated over $50 billion in sales and employed half a million Americans during that span. Immigrants are just 12 percent of our population but earn a staggering 47 percent of the nation's science and technology PhDs and file for 24 percent of US patents. Today, over 50 percent of the immigrants returning to India or China hold advanced degrees. The current work-visa system is outdated and counter-productive. We should lift the cap on H1-B and EB-5 work and investor visas and pass the "StartUp Visa" program, which keeps immigrant entrepreneurs, who commit to hire American workers and generate sales, right here in the United States.
Second, my reform agenda will address our staggering deficit and fiscal crisis. Creating a pathway towards legal status for the 12 million illegal immigrants in the US today would boost GDP by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years. Implementing a guest worker program would add another $792 billion to GDP during the same period. While conservatives in the Arizona state legislature have pursued a deplorable policy of profile and deport, I think we need urgent national leadership to reframe the debate around cultural inclusion, economic competitiveness, and plain common sense. In fact, those who call for mass deportation are actually advocating a policy that would reduce GDP by $2.6 trillion over a decade. The economics of immigration reform are simple: moving illegal immigrants from our under-the-table economy to our above-the-table economy is smart fiscal policy for the nation.
Third, the immigration reform I am proposing will protect our citizens. As a representative of New York City, I will work to empower our law enforcement authorities with the resources needed to secure the homeland. In 2010, New York's share of the Department of Homeland Security Transit Security Grant Program - which funds sensors and bomb detecting equipment - fell by 28 percent. This is unacceptable. We must ensure that immigration reform legislation is matched with restored vigilance and increased counter-terrorism resources. We must also pass provisions for illegal immigrants who have critical witness information to come forward and help law enforcement personnel address street crimes and security threats. Securing our ports and borders, while at the same time bringing illegal immigrants out of the shadows, must be central to reform.
Finally, any immigration reform bill should strengthen our families and neighborhoods in two key ways.
Today, 3.1 million American children have at least one parent who is in the US illegally. When these parents are deported, either their families are torn apart or they take their children - whom US taxpayers have heavily invested in through education and public services - back to their home country. I support the DREAM Act, which offers a citizenship track to hard-working, undocumented children who graduate from US high schools and pursue college or military service. We must create a pathway to citizenship for these families without disrupting American children and their potential to contribute to our country.
I will also fight for passage of the Uniting American Families Act, which would allow US citizens in same-sex couples to sponsor their partners for legal immigration status. Estimates suggest that nearly 36,000 of these couples are at risk of being separated because one partner is not a citizen. I strongly believe that same-sex couples should be afforded the same rights as heterosexual Americans who can apply to sponsor their partner.
I am the daughter of political refugees. My family was forced to flee the brutal regime of Idi Amin after he ordered the mass expulsion of Indians from Uganda. They lost almost everything, and sought asylum from many countries, but were only offered that opportunity in the United States. My parents worked hard every single day to allow me to pursue my dreams - and America gave me the chance to succeed. I will fight tirelessly in Congress for comprehensive immigration reform to preserve and advance that opportunity for all.
Follow Reshma Saujani on Twitter: www.twitter.com/reshma2010
AMERICANS don't want amnesty IT DOESN'T WORK.
Their argument doesn't make any sense to me. Obama doesn't want to open the US borders to the world, but these people are here, and if they have been following the laws and are part of the economy anyways, the government needs to deal with them by taxing them. If they are criminals then they should be deported.
There are also levels of crimes. Coming to America illegally is a crime of course to begin with but conservatives forget some of these people came here illegally but unwillingly as children. Some people came here because they were in a dangerous place and its safer here. Is that a harsh crime? I agree with Obama here. If they are here anyways, they need to accounted for tax-wise and real crime-wise.
Also, how did Identity Theft and Identity Fraud suddenly stop being crimes? And tax evasion, if one is paid under the table with cash?
3
The plain simple fact is mexicans lower wages and then ask for free entitlements.
If you want to round up the illegal mexicans offer a bounty and send mexico the bill.
They would do it to us......... Last American CraftsmanTM.
This study also does not look at those people who could be working but are not because an Illegal Immigrant took their job then was legalized. Studies that focus on American Workers in the same job markets as Illegal Immigrants show the American Workers experience much higher unemployment rates and declining wages, which hurts GDP. And here is a news flash - we have 21 million unemployed Americans most of whom are looking for work IN THE SAME JOB MARKETS as the 7.5 million working Illegal Immigrants. And when Illegal Immigrants are deported THEY DON'T TAKE THE JOBS WITH THEM.
This refusal to abide by our Constitution or enforce our Immigration Laws should be classified as Treason of the most foul kind, & as grounds for impeachment & trials for Treason!
Not only have they allowed the invasion, they force American tax payers to pay Billions on Billions of dollars to provide Welfare, Prison cells, Educate the invaders numerous children, and free medical care, at the same time the invading horde break numerous laws and massive document fraud, & are destroying our schools, hospitals, communities, culture and standard of living while Robbing, Raping, Killing & Assaulting American Citizens WAKE UP PEOPLE!
http://democracyforum.blogspot.com/2010/04/in-south-africa-they-had-apartheid-in.html
http://democracyforum.blogspot.com/2009/05/june-3-immigration-court-date.html
We've had enough of you over-reachers trying to shove aside perfectly good legislators.
Get lost, please.
http://democracyforum.blogspot.com/2010/04/reshma-saujani-innovation-ethnic-pride.html
Also, we'd like to know more about the circumstances under which she departed from Davis Polk. Where Ms. Saujani is concerned, there's been a lot of talk about "failing upward."
For example, nobody in Congress is calling for "mass deportations." If she knows of someone on the Hill who is, why not share the name(s) with the rest of us.
The DREAM Act is not just about "the kids." It would be a rolling amnesty that would benefit far more people than these students, who can be as old as 35 to qualify. Also, there is no mechanism in the current legislation that provides for verification of the information applicants provide. See for yourself what your politicians refuse (with the help of their media lap dogs) to discuss:
http://www.numbersusa.com/content/nusablog/jenksr/april-7-2009/a-dose-reality-turns-dreams-nightmares.html
This writer also has it all wrong when she parrots the bogus argument that foreigners are responsible for starting 25 percent of the nation's IT companies. Read more about that here:
http://www.cis.org/miano/americabashers
And, finally, will she or somebody please describe to us how any of the nation's unemployed 25 million citizens and legal residents, many of them the working poor, would benefit from allowing the 7 million illegal aliens working in nonagricultural jobs to stay in those jobs?
I have friends that have come here, gone to state universities, gone to top graduate schools, and then up and went back to their home land to start businesses. Those jobs belong here! We should make it easier for people who want to create jobs in America to stay in America!
Reshma - Thank you for laying out what you actually plan to do. Really nice to see a politican figure having a point of view and sticking to it, right from the beginning.
Go Reshma!
Boosting GDP by 1.5 trillion. Wow, that sounds amazing. And the costs would be? Oh...yeah.
Bombs, critical witness information, confused?
So you're saying we should get them deported before we have to start shelling out the big bucks to educate their offspring...Now you're talking. Over 400,000 illegal aliens gave birth last year. Let's start with them.
So your parents were political refugees who came to America legally. I bet they'd have a lot of sympathy for the economic migrants who come here illegally from South of the border.
I wish you nothing but the best in your run for Congress!
Go Reshma, I'm with you 100%
This debate has also focused almost exclusively on Hispanic day laborers. They are an important part of the debate, but we can't forget all of the highly-skilled immigrants that want to come to America to contribute to our economy. I'm glad Saujani is talking about them, too.
I've been reading more and more about Saujani, and though I don't live in NY-14, she would have my vote if I did. She seems to be a real leader who presents actual ideas (unlike most politicians, who give us the same boilerplate PR-speak).