Bipartisan border bill would help the economy, bring migrants into the workforce
Vice President Kamala Harris’s best defense against charges that she is weak on immigration has been that she supported the bipartisan border security bill, whereas former President Donald Trump opposed it and instructed his Republican colleagues in Congress to vote against it.
After all, the bill would have provided much of what immigration hawks have been clamoring for — funding for more Border Patrol agents, a more restrictive asylum process and executive branch authority to close the border temporarily in times of emergency.
Trump’s opposition to the bill handed Harris the chance to present herself as stronger than the former president when it comes to a law enforcement approach to the border. But she should go even further in spelling out for the American public some of the lesser-known provisions in the legislation and how she would use those buried sections to build out a coherent immigration policy.
Most of the talk about the failed bill has centered on its provisions to directly address management of the border. What’s gone largely unnoticed are the provisions that would cautiously bring more documented immigrants into the workforce. With the unemployment rate hovering near historic lows for multiple years now and a million more job openings than unemployed workers, there is strong evidence that the country needs to expand its labor force.
With an eye toward supporting a supply of more workers but not a flood, the bipartisan bill offers the first increases in legal immigration since 1990. The legislation would add 18,000 employment-based visas each year for five years — a 13 percent increase over current caps. The bill would also permit spouses and children of highly skilled workers, as well as people who come to the U.S. on a fiancé visa, to seek work.
Under the bill, asylum applicants would continue to have access to work visas, but that access would be limited to those whose claims are found to be strong enough to justify letting them stay in the country and continue the adjudication process under new, stricter standards.
In the wake of Congress’s initial failure to pass the bill this spring, some of these stricter asylum standards were put in place anyway by executive order. The new standards come in addition to more restrictive asylum rules the Biden administration had put in place with an earlier January 2023 executive order. Both executive actions have likely contributed to a drop in illegal border crossings over the last six months, as well as an increased number of deportations. (In fact, the Biden administration has now deported more immigrants than the Trump administration.)
Gradually opening possibilities for more authorized immigrant workers to fill holes in the labor market ultimately serves American citizens. These gaps are evident to those with firsthand knowledge of the need for more retail and restaurant workers in their communities, or the need for more services in their own lives, like child care and home nursing.
The visa provisions in the bipartisan bill could help shift the country’s immigration discourse away from anxiety about a linkage between crime and immigration — there’s abundant data showing that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than citizens — and toward a better understanding that foreign workers are necessary for a healthy U.S. economy. Well-conceived worker visa programs mean essential jobs are filled. With more authorized workers on payrolls, the tax base improves for many localities.
There’s a straightforward reason these visa provisions are included in a bipartisan bill whose headline concern is border security: More avenues for legal immigration can alleviate some of the migratory pressure that leads to recurrent chaos at our Southern border.
Expanding legal immigration as a tool to help establish order at the border is not a new idea. Multiple commissioners of Customs and Border Protection, appointed by presidents of both presidents, have made the point. Such an approach clearly has broad appeal, since it’s featured in the legislation, which Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) — one of the most conservative members of Congress — helped write, and which the National Border Patrol Council has endorsed.
These bipartisan precedents for a workforce-minded immigration policy and the visa provisions in the proposed bipartisan bill together create a singular opportunity for Harris. They empower her to present the nation with a dynamic border management policy focused on the rule of law, marrying strong law enforcement at the border with carefully expanded legal immigration.
This is a winning pairing because it helps ordinary Americans see immigration not as a threat to their way of life, but as a tool to improve their lives through healthy local economies and communities that can provide the full range of needed services.
DW Gibson is the author of “14 Miles: Building the Border Wall” and research director at Ideaspace.
Date: |
Topics
-
ESPN - Sports
Dyche: U.S. takeover would bring Everton stability
Everton manager Sean Dyche has said that the new ownership will bring stability to the club amid its "unsettled ground."24 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Trump hits Harris on border ahead of VP's visit
Former President Trump used a last-minute event in New York City to attack Vice President Harris over immigration and border security, just one day before Harris is scheduled to visit the U.S. ...13 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
Politico - Politics
Bipartisan stopgap plan faces first hurdle: A conservative trio
3 days ago -
CBS News - Top stories
Biden moving forward with plan to cement asylum restrictions at border
The Biden administration is planning to issue a regulation to cement the sweeping asylum restrictions it enacted at the southern border over the summer.3 hours ago - Joe Biden -
The New York Times - Top stories
Kamala Harris’s Campaign Thinks She Can Win on the Economy. Here’s How.
Harris advisers point to a number of brightening public polls showing that Donald Trump’s lead is eroding on the critical question of whom voters trust most on the economy.2 hours ago -
Financial Times - World
FirstFT: China lifts investor hopes with promise of more support for economy
Also in today’s newsletter, Saudi Arabia ready to abandon $100 crude target, and private equity tests markets with a mammoth debt-fuelled dividend1 hour ago - China -
Politico - Politics
Senate passes bill boosting security for presidential nominees
2 days ago -
The Hill - Politics
Environmentalists urge Biden to veto chips permitting bill
Click through for the latest from The Hill {beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Biden may approve chips bill despite green objections A bill that would weaken federal ...2 hours ago - Joe Biden -
MarketWatch - Business
A port strike would be ill-timed, but disruption could boost these companies
A strike at U.S. East Coast and Gulf ports would be ill-timed for the holiday season and could cause a spike in rail congestion, but the disruption could spell opportunities for some companies.3 hours ago
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
Trump hits Harris on border ahead of VP's visit
Former President Trump used a last-minute event in New York City to attack Vice President Harris over immigration and border security, just one day before Harris is scheduled to visit the U.S. ...13 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
USPS wants to raise stamp prices 5 times over the next 3 years
A standard first-class stamp costs 73 cents today, but that price could go up several times within the next three years.35 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
5 things to know about the indictment against Eric Adams
New York City Mayor Eric Adams faces a five-count criminal indictment stemming from a federal corruption investigation, charges fellow Democrats from New York to Washington have deemed "serious." ...36 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Trump dodges on pulling Robinson endorsement
Former President Trump dodged on whether he would retract his endorsement of North Carolina GOP gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson following the explosive report about Robinson's inflammatory ...1 hour ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
OpenAI undergoes major shakeup
Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter {beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story OpenAI execs depart amid reports of for-profit transition Three OpenAI executives have announced their ...1 hour ago