The Border, Again

THE BORDER, AGAIN

Migrants leave their home countries because they are repelled by conditions there and/or attracted by what they perceive to be opportunity elsewhere. In the current situation, it is obvious that there is plenty of opportunity in the US for people who will do unattractive, low-paying work that US people refuse to do at the wages offered: washing dishes, cleaning floors, attending residents in nursing homes, etc. The repelling factors vary by country, but except in a few cases (e.g. Afghanistan, Ukraine), the reasons are overwhelmingly economic.

So next comes the question: what would be a fair immigration system, given that the US needs immigrants both at the highly educated and unskilled levels and given that not everyone who wants to come can be admitted? Perhaps a beginning would be sponsored immigration: under this program migrants could enter the US immediately if they had someone in the US to take financial responsibility for them. The US now has such a program, but only for citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, and it exists only for political reasons. A broader program could include employers or community organizations as sponsors.

In any case the present chaotic situation cannot continue. 

Source: The New York Times, 5/9 and 5/12/23