Unskilled Immigrants: We Can't Get Enough

I agree with Bob Litan's argument in favor of expansive skilled immigration to U.S., and thought I might take it one step further. America needs more unskilled immigrants, too. Let's face it, without unskilled immigration to North America, I wouldn't exist. Neither would you, in all probability (if you're an American). And that whole existence thing hasn't turned out so bad, has it?

As a policy matter, I hold a firm conviction, based in empirical data, that the American experiment since 1789 has been an economic success. And one of the core principles of Americanism is openness to immigration. I mean OPENNESS. Those nutty 19th century Americans went so far as to put up this on the doorstep in New York:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

This is just a snippet; the whole poem "New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus, carved inside the State of Liberty, is the first thing every policy-maker and DC staffer should read before working on immigration policy. Wretched refuse, come hither! That's what built America ... and I don't speak Olde Aenglish, but I'm pretty sure that translates to unskilled laborers.

To be honest, after participating in the great immigration legislation fight of 2005-7, I remain bemused by the anti-immigration angst in the political arena. But I was especially baffled by the logic that immigrants pose a threat to the American cultural identity -- as if the Hispanic ethnicity was too foreign for our melding pot of African, European, and Asian blood. So what is the cultural threat, exactly? It's not the Catholic religion, is it? It's not the Spanish (Latin European roots) language, is it?  What's left?  The poverty and unskilledness? Seems pretty clear to me that the way to lose the American identity is not by allowing too many unskilled immigrants, but by opposing them. 

When I tried to explain the logic of partial openness only for high-skill migrants to my kids, I said: "Congress is basically welcoming Indian and Chinese engineers and scientists, but not Mexican day laborers. Highly educted immigrants might offer tough competition for high-wage jobs if you get a college degree. But don't worry kids, Congress is keeping all those low-skill jobs open just for you."

The sticking point in DC was that immigrants are a welfare burden. Nativists milk this one. While it has a kernel of truth, what exactly is the problem -- immigration or the welfare system? When the nominally conservative party surrenders to the welfare state and turns its guns instead outward around "fortress welfare state America," then there truly has been a cultural loss of identity. Libertarians especially have to answer this question: will 21st century America become "Club Medicare" or will it remain the "Wild West"?

Bottom line is that immigrants of all skill levels tend to be more entrepreneurial than natives. Restricting immigration is a choice in favor of protected redistribution economics at the expense of economic growth. Immigrants may indeed compete for jobs, but they also add value and add consumption demand. By the flawed logic of reducing competition for local jobs, states should restrict immigrants from Ohio, too. But what state or city thinks reducing population is a growth strategy? It's absurd. Why then are the majority of Democrats and Republicans hostile to an expanding immigrant population?

Comments

[brian]

I know a majority of Republicans feel that way, but do a majority of Democrats oppose immigration, too? I didn't think that was the case.

[Andrew Roth]

Tim,

I lost your email address after you left the JEC. Can you drop me a line?

Thanks,
Andy Roth

[Tim Kane]

Brian -
The Democrats have been in charge of Congress for roughly 2 years now. The President is 100% supportive of immigration reform. Where's the legislation? Only one of the remaining presidential candidates worked with Senator Ted Kennedy to get immigration reform passed ... guess which one? Democrats have an opportunity to lead on the immigration issue this summer and fall, and I'm very curious to see if they sieze it, demagogue it, or punt. I have no idea what they will do, but high hopes they "do the right thing" in Spike's words.

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Tim: As I wrote on my blog, Truth on the Market, I think Tyler is pretty far off base with this one. See http://www.truthonthemarket.com/2009/04/28/what-does-tyler-know-about-law-and-economics-anyway/

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may i quote: "Bottom line is that immigrants of all skill levels tend to be more entrepreneurial than natives."

indeed right! they are mostly entrepreneurial...

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Brian -
The Democrats have been in charge of Congress for roughly 2 years now. The President is 100% supportive of immigration reform. Where's the legislation? Only one of the remaining presidential candidates worked with Senator Ted Kennedy to get immigration reform passed ... guess which one? Democrats have an opportunity to lead on the immigration issue this summer and fall, and I'm very curious to see if they sieze it, demagogue it, or punt. I have no idea what they will do, but high hopes they "do the right thing" in Spike's words.

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