Beside the Golden Door: U.S. Immigration Reform in a New Era of Globalization
"I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"—the last line of Emma Lazarus's famous poem invites immigrants to enter a land of economic opportunity. Many have accepted that invitation; today, foreign-born workers make up nearly 16 percent of the U.S. workforce and account for almost half of workforce growth over the last decade. Rather than capitalizing on these gains, however, recent immigration reforms have resulted in an inefficient, patchwork system that shortchanges high-skilled immigrants...
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"Orrenius and Zavodny address some of the toughest polio and political issues that surround immigration reform with remarkable poise and clarity. Their intelligent and thoughtful analysis shows that they are among the few analysts who have a sufficient understanding of the topic and command of the facts to make a compelling case for their recommendations. Moreover, they are unburdened by the ideological straight-jackets that weaken tar too many policy prescriptions. Their passion liar making immigration policy do much more to support economic growth and competitiveness comes out loud and clear.-Demetrios G. Papademetrious, president, Migration Policy Institute" "Cutting through the usual hyperbole that surrounds the immigration debate, Orrenius and Zavodny have produced a lucid and an insightful discussion of U.S. policy options that should be required reading for anyone interested in how the nation could design more effective mechanisms to manage our borders."-Gordon H. Hanson director, Center on Pacific Economies, and professor of economics, University of California'San Diego" "What if instead of 'What's politically possible?' policymakers asked, What's best for the country?. They rarely do, on immigration or any other issue. But it they did, Pia M. Orrenius and Madeline Zavochryis thoughtful and thought-provoking immigration reform proposal would be a good place to start. The authors' caseûthat U.S. immigration policy should serve U.S. economic interests, and that market mechanisms, not politics as usual, are the best means to determine those interests-is hard to argue with. A smart, timely book that should be the food for much discussion on Capitol Hill."-Tamar Jacoby, president, Immigration Works USA" "I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"-the last line of Emma Lazarus's famous poem invites immigrants to enter a land of economic opportunity. Many have accepted that invitation; today, foreign-born workers make up nearly 16 percent of the U.S. workforce and account for almost half of workforce growth over the last decade. Rather than capitalizing on these gains, however, recent immigration reforms have resulted in an inefficient, patchwork system that shortchanges high-skilled immigrants and poorly serves the American public." "Beside the Golden Door: U.S. Immigration Reform in a New Era of Globalization proposes a radical overhaul of current immigration policy designed to strengthen economic competitiveness and long-run growth. Pia M. Orrenius and Madeline Zavodny outline a plan that favors employment-based immigration over family reunification, making work-based visas the rule, not the exception. They argue that immigration policy should favor high-skilled workers while retaining avenues for low-skilled immigration; family reunification should be limited to spouses and minor children; provisional visas should be the norm; and quotas that lead to queuing must be eliminated." A selective immigration policy focused on high-skilled, high-demand workers will allow the United Sates to compete in an increasingly global economy while protecting the interests of American citizens and benefiting taxpayers. Orrenius and Zavodny conclude that "while not all potential immigrants who knock at the golden door should be admitted, the door should swing wide open to welcome those who desire nothing more than the opportunity to work for the American dream."
List Of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction 11 The Challenge: Picking Up The Pieces 7U.S. Immigration Policy: A Checkered Past 8The Current Policy Morass 18What To Keep: The Best Aspects Of Current Policy 24What To Reform: The Worst Aspects Of Current Policy 30Conclusion 372 The Goal: Pro-Growth Immigration Policy 39A New Era Of Globalization 42Economic Effects Of Immigration 47Immigration Policies: A Global Perspective 54Goal 1: Prioritize Employment-Based Migration 59Goal 2: Set Flexible Caps That Increase With Economic Growth 62Goal 3: Encourage Short-Term Migration 62Goal 4: Mitigate Negative Labor Market Impacts 64Goal 5: Limit Adverse Fiscal Impacts 66Goal 6: End Illegal Immigration 67Conclusion 683 The Way: Market-Based Immigration Reform 70Provisional Immigration Based On Work 70Employers And Permits 72Workers And Visas 76The Government's Role 79Permit Auctions 84Family-Based Immigration 86The Current Queue 88Illegal Immigration 90High-Immigrant Communities 95Conclusion 964 What The Plan Does Not Include And Why 98Why Not Use A Point System? 98Hwy Not Allow Open Immigration? 101Why Not Have A Guest-Worker Program 104Why Not Deport All Unauthorized Immigrants? 106Why Not End Birthright Citizenship? 108Conclusion 109Conclusion: Beyond The Golden Door 110Notes 115References 133Index 145About The Authors 157
\ The Dallas Morning NewsThe book sweeps quickly through the U.S. history of unregulated and regulated immigration. Orrenius and her co-author, Madeline Zavodny...take the bull by the horns by addressing mass deportation. They are against it.\ \
