Immigration at issue (Gettysburg Times op-ed)

During this election season Republican candidates have been hammering Democrats over immigration at the Southern border. Accusations reference “open borders,” and “invasions of violent criminals,” “drug dealers, terrorists, and sex traffickers.” It is true that the number of people showing up at the Southern border is high. Also, polls show that Americans are deeply concerned about the influx of migrants. A Gallup poll in April 2024 shows that 27% view immigration as an important issue even ahead of the economy and inflation. There is no doubt that our immigration system is flawed and chaotic. However, all of this needs to be put in some perspective. We need to separate the political theater with some economic realities about immigration.

Each year thousands of people show up at our Southern border requesting asylum. However, the U.S. is not alone in struggling with this issue. Europe and other places are experiencing similar problems. Reasons for these mass migrations include poverty, climate change, repressive governments, and uncontrolled criminal gangs. Countries are struggling to balance humanitarian assistance, knowing that it is impossible to take in everyone who comes to your door.

Migrants understand the chaotic nature of our immigration system – a system designed to allow entry into the U.S. for people seeking asylum because of persecution in their home countries. Most asylum seekers are eventually denied entry, but they may end up staying and working for years in the U.S. until a hearing is scheduled and a determination is made. This “gaming of the system” creates resentment as well as fear concerning who is entering our country.

Yet even with our broken system, immigration can be a gift to our economy. In May 2024, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) updated its budget forecasts based on the surge in immigration. The CBO now estimates that our GDP will be $7 trillion greater over 10 years mainly because of immigration. Immigrants are more likely to work, offsetting the expected retirements of the native-born population. Also, our longer-term fiscal challenges look better because immigrants pay taxes but are much less likely than native-born Americans to qualify for benefits, including programs such as Medicare and Social Security.

The U.S. also needs these workers. Around the country companies are setting up new semiconductor factories, battery plants, and infrastructure projects. Yet these same companies are reporting shortages of construction workers. Housing prices have skyrocketed in part because we are not building fast enough to meet demand. And it’s not just the construction industries. Other economic sectors are crying for workers and cannot find them. Also, our reputation as a haven for persecuted people has helped us attract the world’s best talent. This in turn has supercharged innovation and entrepreneurship. Why would we want to squander that advantage by closing our borders or discouraging entry for those skilled individuals?When immigration is unplanned and broken, it can have negative economic effects, particularly in a dysfunctional system like ours. According to New York Times columnist David Leonhardt, immigration can put downward pressure on wages, creating income stagnation especially among low-income, lower-educated workers. A stronger immigration system would endeavor to protect native workers who are struggling economically. Also, there are now significant financial stresses placed on border states and cities like Chicago and New York, where migrants are showing up in droves and requesting asylum. Absent additional resources, the strain on these places will continue.

The last time the U.S. enacted a major immigration statute was 1986. That law was not designed for today’s immigration world. Lawmakers did not envision people fleeing failed states or criminal organizations in mass. Nor did they envision climate change. Nor did they foresee the advances in transportation and social media, both of which have helped people navigate to our borders from as far away as Asia.In a perfect world the basic contours of a comprehensive immigration policy have been fairly clear for decades. In exchange for expanded opportunities for legal immigration – including more visas, more green cards, and targeted policies to increase immigrants skilled in technology and science, liberals would agree to stricter enforcement and control at the border. But major immigration reform is stuck. Changing the immigration law requires action by Congress, and that has not happened. In the latest example of squandering an opportunity to significantly change immigration policy, last winter Donald Trump instructed congressional Republicans to sandbag bipartisan negotiations to avoid giving the Biden administration an election-year win.

So where does this leave us? We need less political theatrics and more serious discussions on how to fix this broken system. In short, we need political will.

Tom DeLoe is a resident of Gettysburg and a member of the DFA Healthcare Task Force.