Washington Post (Op-Ed)
By Steve Case
September 11, 2015
Like
Donald Trump, I am an entrepreneur and investor, and I am also driven
by a desire to “make America great again.” But he and I have very
different visions about how
to do that, especially around the issue of immigration.
I
have tried to steer clear of politics and focus on policy — in
particular, the policies that can help the United States remain the
world’s most innovative, entrepreneurial
nation. That led me to become an advocate for the bipartisan Jumpstart
Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act to help more entrepreneurs start and
grow their companies. And that led me to push for immigration reform, as
it’s clear to me that we are beginning to
lose what is now a global battle for talent. I understand that
immigration policy is sensitive and complex, but I’ve long believed it’s
not just a problem we need to solve, but also an opportunity to seize.
And
that’s why I am troubled by Trump’s statements on immigration. While we
can all agree about the need to secure our borders and enforce our
laws, Trump’s proposed solutions
are too extreme and his language too caustic. Trump has equated
immigrants with criminals and proposed rounding up millions of
hardworking people and deporting them. He has called for undoing a
147-year-old provision in our Constitution — advocated for by
allies of slain President Abraham Lincoln and passed by a Republican
Congress — to deny U.S. citizenship to everyone born in this country.
If
we want to make America great again, it is hard to imagine a more
wrongheaded approach. Study after study has shown that immigrants are
net job creators, net taxpayers,
net additions to national growth. As I told the Senate Judiciary
Committee when I testified before it two years ago, 40 percent of
Fortune 500 businesses were started by immigrants or their children,
including Google, Yahoo and Honeywell. Immigrants are almost
twice as likely as U.S.-born workers to start a company and create jobs
for others.
If
you are a conservative, you should know that the data show that
immigrants help reduce the national deficit and pay more in taxes than
they receive in benefits. If
you are a liberal, you should know that the data show that
contributions from immigrants are helping to extend the lifespan of
Social Security and Medicare.
And
yet, the United States is one of the few nations on earth that still
pursues self-defeating anti-immigrant economic policies such as
educating young people from all
around the world — and then refusing to allow them to stay in our
country to start businesses and create jobs for others. Economic rivals
from China to Canada are doing everything possible to lure these future
job creators to their shores — but not the United
States. Our head-in-the-sand policies put our future at risk, and our
insensitive language may scare away the very people whom we need to
attract.
The
argument for standing up to the current anti-immigration fever goes
beyond purely economic considerations. The United States is an immigrant
nation. Nearly all of
us are immigrants or the offspring of someone who immigrated here. Some
of our ancestors were welcomed, others were greeted by earlier waves of
hostility. Yes, we’re a nation of laws, but we’re also a nation of
opportunity, and a nation that prides itself
on welcoming the tired and poor to our shores. How can we now disparage
others who equally want to be part of our nation, its culture and its
future?
Yes,
America does have problems. Too many people can’t find jobs, wages are
flat, the gap between rich and poor is growing, the government is
running a deficit, crime
in some places remains high. And for many there’s a troubling sense
that our society is spinning out of control. The anger that comes from
these realities — and these fears — is legitimate and demands a reply.
But none of these things — none of them — can
be blamed so simplistically on immigrants.
As
Ronald Reagan once said, “If there had to be city walls, the walls had
doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to
get here.” It is time
for business leaders, civic groups, entrepreneurs and community and
religious leaders to speak out against the rising tide of anti-immigrant
activism that is fueling the Trump campaign and that, sadly, is the
kerosene that Trump himself is pouring on the fire.
Blaming the hardworking men and women seeking to make a decent life for
themselves and their children is wrong. And it is time for those of us
who truly want to make America great again to stand up for the approach
most likely to do so: acknowledging the vast
contribution of immigrants to our economy, welcoming them to our shores
and fixing our broken immigration system by — finally — coming together
in a bipartisan fashion and passing immigration reform.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
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