At a Joe Biden event led by Mayor Pete Buttigieg, I explained, “America is a nation of immigrants. They are the engine of the economy and innovators. Recent Presidential Proclamations have ironically made economic recovery much more difficult by banning the entry of key foreign-national employees with already approved immigration work status.”
I was eager to keep immigrants at the focus of policy discussions. I asked, “What specific immigration policies should the new administration advocate, to improve legal immigration through employment and family, as well as help undocumented immigrants?”
Mayor Pete agreed that immigrants, such as the Chief Innovation Officer of South Bend, are critical to America’s success. Recent policies against international students, like his father once was, show a “cruel attitude toward those who show the most trust and fidelity to the U.S.” Dreamers are undocumented, but are Americans nonetheless.
On a practical level, Mayor Pete explained, “Our economy requires more immigrants than the law allows.” Immigration quotas from decades ago that impact family reunification and other immigrants should be updated more frequently to reflect the current needs, he proposed. I agree. The campaign’s candid understanding of U.S. immigration fills me with optimism for America’s future.
