American Consequences - January 2021

founded by an immigrant or the child of immigrants. The CEOs of Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOGL) were born abroad... as well as one of the founders of Alphabet. But those smart people – future immigrants who could help keep the United States at the forefront of innovation and technology – will go elsewhere if they don’t think the U.S. is an attractive destination... or if the anti-immigration policies of the Trump government aren’t erased and replaced. But those smart people

neighbors in Southeast Asia will be as beholden to China as Latin Americans have been to [the U.S.].” The South China Sea is a vital global shipping lane. Its shores wash up on some of the world’s most dynamic economies – those that are the heart of the so-called Pacific Century. Letting China claim the entire region as its private playground, in geopolitical terms, is a big admission of the limits of American power. Though Trump didn’t describe his foreign policy in this way, it was the approach his administration took. And it’s the only one that makes sense for President Biden. And for conservatives anxious about America getting sucked into the quicksand in faraway swamps, that’s worth cheering. REASON NO. 3: BIDENWILL WELCOME SMART FOREIGNERS (AND THAT’S GOOD) For decades, America has been a magnet for the world’s smartest people. They’re drawn to the openness and freedom of the American way of life, the “anyone can make it here” nature of economic opportunity, the high quality of life, the melting-pot culture... as well as the network effect of America having the brightest scientists and the best research universities and biggest companies that make it a hotbed of technology and innovation. Nearly two out of every five people in Silicon Valley were born outside the United States. According to bipartisan immigration think tank New American Economy, as of 2018, about 44% of Fortune 500 companies were

– future immigrants who could help keep the United States at the forefront of innovation and technology – will go elsewhere if they don’t think the U.S. is an attractive destination...

Biden will likely make a priority of creating a pathway to U.S. citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are living in the country now. The new government will likely remove Trump’s travel bans on travelers from 13 countries that are mostly either majority-Muslim or African. And President Biden will reform the H-1B visa program that allows U.S. employers to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations, which Trump had slashed. Is this good for America? There’s nothing more blue-and-red blooded American than the promise of the Statue of Liberty. Without the brainpower of foreigners – and the policies

American Consequences

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