The current immigration system is not just broken; it is upside down and backward.
On one hand, we lack a secure border that prevents bad actors from entering. On the other hand, we have an ineffective legal immigration system that fails to admit enough individuals eager to work hard, support the economy and contribute to the community. Decades of dysfunction at the national level have resulted in a stalemate that seems to circle endlessly without resolution. Rarely has a policy solution been so obvious and the political wherewithal so low. We need our federal government to secure the nation’s border and create more economically sustainable pathways for legal immigration.
The first step must be securing the border. This should be a bipartisan issue, as public safety and the integrity of our nation should not be a point of division. Unfortunately, immigration is too often used by both sides as a political football with which to score partisan points rather than implement policy solutions. With lives and livelihoods on the line, this needs to stop…