Friday, June 20, 2014 5:30:17 AM
Immigration Reform Can't Wait
Newly naturalized U.S. citizens celebrate after taking the oath of citizenship in Washington, D.C., June 17.
Getty Images
There is rarely a good time to do hard things, and America won't advance if legislators act like seat-warmers.
By Rupert Murdoch
Updated June 18, 2014 7:36 p.m. ET
When I learned that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor [ http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/Eric-Cantor/6639 ] had lost his Republican primary, my heart sank. Not simply because I think he is an intelligent and talented member of Congress, or because I worry about the future of the Republican Party.
Like others who want comprehensive immigration reform, I worried that Mr. Cantor's loss would be misconstrued and make Congress reluctant to tackle this urgent need. That would be the wrong lesson and an undesirable national consequence of this single, local election result.
People are looking for leadership—those who stand for something and offer a vision for how to take America forward and keep our nation economically competitive. One of the most immediate ways to revitalize our economy is by passing immigration reform.
I chose to come to America and become a citizen because America was—and remains—the most free and entrepreneurial nation in the world. Our history is defined by people whose character and culture have been shaped by ambition, imagination and hard work, bound together by a dream of a better life.
Is the idea of immigration reform complicated by the fact that some immigrants went outside the legal system to be here? Yes. It is complicated even more by the fear some Americans have, quite naturally, of how changing populations might also change our culture, communities and economic circumstances.
Well, of course immigration means change. Immigrants enrich our culture and add to our economic prosperity.
You don't have to take one immigrant's word for it. The Partnership for a New American Economy, a bipartisan group of political and business leaders, reports that people who moved here from abroad or their children founded more than 40% of America's Fortune 500 companies—businesses that collectively employ millions of people.
Do Americans really wish Google, eBay, Pfizer or Home Depot were headquartered in Eastern Europe or China instead of America? Whether it's a high-profile tech company or a small business employing just 10 people, 28% of all new American businesses started in 2011 were founded by immigrants. Those are entrepreneurial people we want to continue to attract to our economy.
I don't believe that people come to America to sit on their hands. The vast majority of America's immigrants are hardworking, family-minded individuals with strong values. They are drawn here from many different places by a common belief that this is still the land of opportunity for those willing to work hard.
We need to give those individuals who are already here—after they have passed checks to ensure they are not dangerous criminals—a path to citizenship so they can pay their full taxes, be counted, and become more productive members of our community.
Next, we need to do away with the cap on H-1B visas, which is arbitrary and results in U.S. companies struggling to find the high-skill workers they need to continue growing. We already know that most of the applications for these visas are for computer programmers and engineers, where there is a shortage of qualified American candidates. But we are held back by the objections of the richly funded labor unions that mistakenly believe that if we keep innovation out of America, somehow nothing will change. They are wrong, and frankly as much to blame for our stalemate on this issue as nativists who scream about amnesty.
If we are serious about advancing our economic future and about creating job growth here in America, then we must realize that it is suicidal to suggest closing our doors to the world's entrepreneurs, or worse, to continue with large-scale deportations.
That is not to suggest we don't need to do a far better job securing our border. Border security should be an integral part of a comprehensive solution, and we should not dismiss the concerns of states that are struggling to deal with the consequences of ongoing illegal immigration.
Some politicians and pundits will argue that this is not the time to bring immigration reform to the congressional floor—that it will frighten an already anxious workforce and encourage more extreme candidates, especially on the right. They may be right about the short-term politics, but they are dead wrong about the long-term interests of our country.
Maybe, as someone who came here as an immigrant, I have more faith in the compassion and fortitude of the American people, and in their ability to reject extreme views on either side of the political spectrum. Or maybe, as a businessman, I have learned that there is rarely a good time to do the hard things.
That is why I was pleased to see Sen. Rand Paul [ http://topics.wsj.com/person/P/Rand-Paul/6142 ] and Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, step up their efforts to lobby for immigration reform.
President Obama has shown wise restraint despite pressure from the left to act, recognizing that a bipartisan approach on such an immense issue would be best. Remember ObamaCare [ http://online.wsj.com/public/page/health-law-rollout.html ( http://online.wsj.com/public/page/health-law-rollout.html?lc=int_mb_1001 )]?
However, if Congress fails to even try to have this important debate, the president might feel tempted to act via executive order. I hope it doesn't get to that point, given the furious political firestorm that would result.
All the more reason, then, to recognize that the facts are on the side of reform, and democratic societies don't advance when our elected officials act like seat-warmers.
Mr. Murdoch is executive chairman of News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal. He also serves as chairman and CEO of 21st Century Fox which owns the Fox News Channel.
Copyright ©2014 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/rupert-murdoch-immigration-reform-cant-wait-1403134311 [with comments] [blurbed/linked ( http://online.wsj.com/articles/rupert-murdoch-immigration-reform-cant-wait-1403134311?tesla=y&mod=djemMER_h&mg=reno64-wsj ) at http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/06/19/immigration-reform-cant-wait-america-wont-advance-if-legislators-act-like-seat/ ]
--
Let’s Deal With Reality and Pass Immigration Reform
By SHELDON G. ADELSON
June 19, 2014
Radio show hosts and political pundits are suggesting that the primary election defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is the final nail in the coffin for passing immigration reform in this session of Congress. They surmise that other Republicans will be especially reluctant to tackle the issue for fear of losing political support.
If we are led to believe that the results of a local election with 12 percent voter turnout in a single congressional district (one out of 435) with a mere 65,000 votes cast is all that it takes to disrupt a necessary and important national policy debate, then America is in big trouble—not just on this issue, but on a whole range of issues.
I certainly hope that is not the case.
As a Republican, it’s my view that efforts to complete immigration reform should be led by our party. Some on the outer fringes of the GOP may disagree, but the truth is we are humans first and partisans second. Frankly, the Democrats don’t have a monopoly on having hearts.
While I do not practice or promote illegal behavior, the reality is that 11 million illegal immigrants are currently in this country. Let’s face it, the United States does not have a process—real or imaginable—to deport 11 million people from within our borders. Those who favor the deportation of every person here illegally must understand that this position simply is not realistic. There is no wave of a magic wand that could accomplish such a task. Nor should there be.
Most of the immigrants who are here illegally came for the same reason as those who are here legally—a chance to make a better life for themselves and their families. They came heeding the famous words of poet Emma Lazarus that have welcomed generations of immigrants, including my parents, to the United States as they pass the Statue of Liberty and her golden torch: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free … Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.”
Poll after poll shows the majority of Americans support immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship. So, let’s put the political nitpicking aside and deal with the situation.
Let’s start by instituting a process in which all undocumented immigrants receive permits to legally work here. Let’s provide them with the opportunity to get driver’s licenses and bank accounts—simple things that we all take for granted. The immigrants here illegally need jobs, want to work and are willing to take on jobs that are not appealing to many Americans. Additionally, many of them are exploited because of their illegal status in this country.
Let’s also create a path to success for the 65,000 young people who graduate each year from high school and who, despite having been born in this country, find their path to college blocked by the “illegal immigrant” classification. We need more people in this country earning advanced degrees and putting that education to work here. As a businessman, I would certainly prefer that as opposed to educating them here and have them go somewhere else to compete against us.
Next, we need to develop some type of offsetting payment that these former migrants can make as compensation for being here illegally. Payment could be monetary or through service to the local community or country.
We also need more robust and effective measures to secure our borders and enforce our laws, so that we do not exacerbate the problem in the future.
Finally, with the exception of Native Americans, we are all immigrants or descendents of immigrants. Let us determine a long-term path to citizenship that is unambiguous. For us to do anything less would be a repudiation of the very foundation that has made America the world’s greatest melting pot.
Let’s not pretend, either, that every person here illegally is some malicious character with no regard for our laws. For instance, I am familiar with a situation in which a father brought his children to the United States and stayed here on a recurring visa. After many years, the father remarried and a son, who is more than 18 years old, is now considered to be here illegally. This young man has lived nearly every day of his life in the United States, but he is haunted by the prospect of being sent to a country whose customs and cultures he does not understand and whose language he does not speak. There must be innumerable cases like his.
My parents immigrated to the United States from Eastern and Northern Europe, and my siblings and I were born here. Had my parents brought me here as an undocumented infant, would I now be subject to deportation, even as a senior citizen? The thought of the traumatic impact that would have on my family is inconceivable to me—and I’m a wealthy man. It’s not realistic to think that deporting 11 million people wouldn’t have an even more devastating and heartbreaking effect on countless multi-generation families living here together.
As I said at the beginning, I’m a law-abiding citizen, and I am certainly not advocating any type of illegal action. I am, though, advocating a dose of reality for those who use 11 million people for political gamesmanship.
If you are an American citizen, the chances are it’s because someone in your family came to the United States in pursuit of a better life for themselves and their descendants. Generations of immigrants came here and became productive and respected citizens, with many giving their lives to protect this country. Let’s reassure all of those who came before us and are now looking down from above that the principles undergirding America’s foundations live on. Let’s not close the door on those “yearning to breathe free.”
Sheldon Adelson is chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp.
© 2014 POLITICO LLC
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/lets-deal-with-reality-and-pass-immigration-reform-108065.html [with comments]
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Newly naturalized U.S. citizens celebrate after taking the oath of citizenship in Washington, D.C., June 17.
Getty Images
There is rarely a good time to do hard things, and America won't advance if legislators act like seat-warmers.
By Rupert Murdoch
Updated June 18, 2014 7:36 p.m. ET
When I learned that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor [ http://topics.wsj.com/person/C/Eric-Cantor/6639 ] had lost his Republican primary, my heart sank. Not simply because I think he is an intelligent and talented member of Congress, or because I worry about the future of the Republican Party.
Like others who want comprehensive immigration reform, I worried that Mr. Cantor's loss would be misconstrued and make Congress reluctant to tackle this urgent need. That would be the wrong lesson and an undesirable national consequence of this single, local election result.
People are looking for leadership—those who stand for something and offer a vision for how to take America forward and keep our nation economically competitive. One of the most immediate ways to revitalize our economy is by passing immigration reform.
I chose to come to America and become a citizen because America was—and remains—the most free and entrepreneurial nation in the world. Our history is defined by people whose character and culture have been shaped by ambition, imagination and hard work, bound together by a dream of a better life.
Is the idea of immigration reform complicated by the fact that some immigrants went outside the legal system to be here? Yes. It is complicated even more by the fear some Americans have, quite naturally, of how changing populations might also change our culture, communities and economic circumstances.
Well, of course immigration means change. Immigrants enrich our culture and add to our economic prosperity.
You don't have to take one immigrant's word for it. The Partnership for a New American Economy, a bipartisan group of political and business leaders, reports that people who moved here from abroad or their children founded more than 40% of America's Fortune 500 companies—businesses that collectively employ millions of people.
Do Americans really wish Google, eBay, Pfizer or Home Depot were headquartered in Eastern Europe or China instead of America? Whether it's a high-profile tech company or a small business employing just 10 people, 28% of all new American businesses started in 2011 were founded by immigrants. Those are entrepreneurial people we want to continue to attract to our economy.
I don't believe that people come to America to sit on their hands. The vast majority of America's immigrants are hardworking, family-minded individuals with strong values. They are drawn here from many different places by a common belief that this is still the land of opportunity for those willing to work hard.
We need to give those individuals who are already here—after they have passed checks to ensure they are not dangerous criminals—a path to citizenship so they can pay their full taxes, be counted, and become more productive members of our community.
Next, we need to do away with the cap on H-1B visas, which is arbitrary and results in U.S. companies struggling to find the high-skill workers they need to continue growing. We already know that most of the applications for these visas are for computer programmers and engineers, where there is a shortage of qualified American candidates. But we are held back by the objections of the richly funded labor unions that mistakenly believe that if we keep innovation out of America, somehow nothing will change. They are wrong, and frankly as much to blame for our stalemate on this issue as nativists who scream about amnesty.
If we are serious about advancing our economic future and about creating job growth here in America, then we must realize that it is suicidal to suggest closing our doors to the world's entrepreneurs, or worse, to continue with large-scale deportations.
That is not to suggest we don't need to do a far better job securing our border. Border security should be an integral part of a comprehensive solution, and we should not dismiss the concerns of states that are struggling to deal with the consequences of ongoing illegal immigration.
Some politicians and pundits will argue that this is not the time to bring immigration reform to the congressional floor—that it will frighten an already anxious workforce and encourage more extreme candidates, especially on the right. They may be right about the short-term politics, but they are dead wrong about the long-term interests of our country.
Maybe, as someone who came here as an immigrant, I have more faith in the compassion and fortitude of the American people, and in their ability to reject extreme views on either side of the political spectrum. Or maybe, as a businessman, I have learned that there is rarely a good time to do the hard things.
That is why I was pleased to see Sen. Rand Paul [ http://topics.wsj.com/person/P/Rand-Paul/6142 ] and Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, step up their efforts to lobby for immigration reform.
President Obama has shown wise restraint despite pressure from the left to act, recognizing that a bipartisan approach on such an immense issue would be best. Remember ObamaCare [ http://online.wsj.com/public/page/health-law-rollout.html ( http://online.wsj.com/public/page/health-law-rollout.html?lc=int_mb_1001 )]?
However, if Congress fails to even try to have this important debate, the president might feel tempted to act via executive order. I hope it doesn't get to that point, given the furious political firestorm that would result.
All the more reason, then, to recognize that the facts are on the side of reform, and democratic societies don't advance when our elected officials act like seat-warmers.
Mr. Murdoch is executive chairman of News Corp, which owns The Wall Street Journal. He also serves as chairman and CEO of 21st Century Fox which owns the Fox News Channel.
Copyright ©2014 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/rupert-murdoch-immigration-reform-cant-wait-1403134311 [with comments] [blurbed/linked ( http://online.wsj.com/articles/rupert-murdoch-immigration-reform-cant-wait-1403134311?tesla=y&mod=djemMER_h&mg=reno64-wsj ) at http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/06/19/immigration-reform-cant-wait-america-wont-advance-if-legislators-act-like-seat/ ]
--
Let’s Deal With Reality and Pass Immigration Reform
By SHELDON G. ADELSON
June 19, 2014
Radio show hosts and political pundits are suggesting that the primary election defeat of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is the final nail in the coffin for passing immigration reform in this session of Congress. They surmise that other Republicans will be especially reluctant to tackle the issue for fear of losing political support.
If we are led to believe that the results of a local election with 12 percent voter turnout in a single congressional district (one out of 435) with a mere 65,000 votes cast is all that it takes to disrupt a necessary and important national policy debate, then America is in big trouble—not just on this issue, but on a whole range of issues.
I certainly hope that is not the case.
As a Republican, it’s my view that efforts to complete immigration reform should be led by our party. Some on the outer fringes of the GOP may disagree, but the truth is we are humans first and partisans second. Frankly, the Democrats don’t have a monopoly on having hearts.
While I do not practice or promote illegal behavior, the reality is that 11 million illegal immigrants are currently in this country. Let’s face it, the United States does not have a process—real or imaginable—to deport 11 million people from within our borders. Those who favor the deportation of every person here illegally must understand that this position simply is not realistic. There is no wave of a magic wand that could accomplish such a task. Nor should there be.
Most of the immigrants who are here illegally came for the same reason as those who are here legally—a chance to make a better life for themselves and their families. They came heeding the famous words of poet Emma Lazarus that have welcomed generations of immigrants, including my parents, to the United States as they pass the Statue of Liberty and her golden torch: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free … Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me.”
Poll after poll shows the majority of Americans support immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship. So, let’s put the political nitpicking aside and deal with the situation.
Let’s start by instituting a process in which all undocumented immigrants receive permits to legally work here. Let’s provide them with the opportunity to get driver’s licenses and bank accounts—simple things that we all take for granted. The immigrants here illegally need jobs, want to work and are willing to take on jobs that are not appealing to many Americans. Additionally, many of them are exploited because of their illegal status in this country.
Let’s also create a path to success for the 65,000 young people who graduate each year from high school and who, despite having been born in this country, find their path to college blocked by the “illegal immigrant” classification. We need more people in this country earning advanced degrees and putting that education to work here. As a businessman, I would certainly prefer that as opposed to educating them here and have them go somewhere else to compete against us.
Next, we need to develop some type of offsetting payment that these former migrants can make as compensation for being here illegally. Payment could be monetary or through service to the local community or country.
We also need more robust and effective measures to secure our borders and enforce our laws, so that we do not exacerbate the problem in the future.
Finally, with the exception of Native Americans, we are all immigrants or descendents of immigrants. Let us determine a long-term path to citizenship that is unambiguous. For us to do anything less would be a repudiation of the very foundation that has made America the world’s greatest melting pot.
Let’s not pretend, either, that every person here illegally is some malicious character with no regard for our laws. For instance, I am familiar with a situation in which a father brought his children to the United States and stayed here on a recurring visa. After many years, the father remarried and a son, who is more than 18 years old, is now considered to be here illegally. This young man has lived nearly every day of his life in the United States, but he is haunted by the prospect of being sent to a country whose customs and cultures he does not understand and whose language he does not speak. There must be innumerable cases like his.
My parents immigrated to the United States from Eastern and Northern Europe, and my siblings and I were born here. Had my parents brought me here as an undocumented infant, would I now be subject to deportation, even as a senior citizen? The thought of the traumatic impact that would have on my family is inconceivable to me—and I’m a wealthy man. It’s not realistic to think that deporting 11 million people wouldn’t have an even more devastating and heartbreaking effect on countless multi-generation families living here together.
As I said at the beginning, I’m a law-abiding citizen, and I am certainly not advocating any type of illegal action. I am, though, advocating a dose of reality for those who use 11 million people for political gamesmanship.
If you are an American citizen, the chances are it’s because someone in your family came to the United States in pursuit of a better life for themselves and their descendants. Generations of immigrants came here and became productive and respected citizens, with many giving their lives to protect this country. Let’s reassure all of those who came before us and are now looking down from above that the principles undergirding America’s foundations live on. Let’s not close the door on those “yearning to breathe free.”
Sheldon Adelson is chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp.
© 2014 POLITICO LLC
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/lets-deal-with-reality-and-pass-immigration-reform-108065.html [with comments]
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Greensburg, KS - 5/4/07
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
from John Philpot Curran, Speech
upon the Right of Election, 1790
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