8
◼ AGENDA
● The Democratic candidates must explain how they’d fix
a broken system. Reversing Trump’s mistakes isn’t enough◼BLOOMBERG OPINIONWritten by the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board ILLUSTRATION BY BENEDIKT KRUGARAlmost every Democratic presidential candidate has ful-
somely blasted Donald Trump’s policies toward asylum
seekers. They’ve also pledged to provide a path to citizen-
ship for Dreamers—the 700,000 or so undocumented youths
currently protected from deportation—and the larger undoc-
umented population of 11 million. What most haven’t done,
however, is explain how they plan to fix an immigration
system badly in need of reform. As the 2020 campaign inten-
sifies, this should become an urgent priority.
Trump’s cruel and counterproductive treatment of asylum
seekers indeed deserves condemnation, but the 25,000 or so
individuals granted asylum each year for the past two decades
represent only about 2.5% of green cards awarded annually.
Likewise, any resolution for the undocumented must keep
faith with the almost 4 million legal would-be immigrants who
have been waiting their turns, many for longer than a decade.
Voters need reminding that the U.S.’s economic future
depends on sustaining its vibrancy as a nation of immigrants.
Consider that almost half of today’s Fortune 500 compa-
nies were established by immigrants or their children. These
founders have brought entrepreneurial energy and, in the
case of technology companies, a greater propensity than theGet Real on Immigration
native-born to invest in innovation and research and devel-
opment. Over the past two decades, immigrants have also
generated almost half of the robust labor force growth that
has set the U.S. apart from the world’s other major economies.
Yet the workforce is still growing older. The country’s rate
of population growth last year was the lowest since 1937. That
doesn’t bode well for economic dynamism or fiscal health.
Meanwhile, other countries are scooping up skilled workers
deterred by the U.S.’s increasingly restrictive and cumber-
some rules. Trump hasn’t helped by clamping down on
almost all forms of immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, harm-
ing such industries as tourism, farming, and high tech.
The Democratic candidates need to do more than just
call for reversing these measures. They have to explain how
they’ll shift to a system that gives more emphasis to skills and
economic necessity while dealing fairly with the large backlog
of family-based applicants. That will require higher levels of
immigration and the creation of a points-based system similar
to that of Australia, Canada, and other countries.
Every such plan involves trade-offs among constituencies,
which is why candidates are reluctant to put them forward.
A few promising ideas have surfaced—for instance, on how
targeted immigration can rejuvenate declining rural com-
munities. Yet even as candidates talk more about how to
tap immigrants’ drive, they should make clear that laws will
be enforced, an idea often lost in the rush to condemn this
administration’s barbaric tactics. On both scores, America’s
voters need and deserve to hear more. <BW>United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres hosts
the Climate Action Summit in New York on Sept. 23, urging
governments and companies to do more against global
warming. Swedish youth activist Greta Thunberg sailed
across the Atlantic in a carbon-neutral boat to attend.▶ On Sept. 26, Banxico,
Mexico’s central bank,
publishes its rate decision.
Borrowing costs are
forecast to ease from 8% by
the end of the third quarter.▶ The U.K. Conservative
Party Conference starts on
Sept. 29, just about a month
before Prime Minister Boris
Johnson wants to extract
his country from the EU.▶ Uber’s London operating
license expires on Sept. 25.
The company has sought
to improve service in one of
its key markets to get the
permit renewed.▶ Austrians elect a new
government on Sept. 29,
with conservative Sebastian
Kurz seeking to reclaim
the role of chancellor after
being thrown out in May.▶ ESMO, one of the
world’s most important
cancer conferences,
begins in Barcelona on
Sept. 27 to debate new
cures for the disease.▶ The 10-day IAAF World
Athletic Championships
kick off in Doha, Qatar, on
Sept. 27, the first time the
contest is coming to the
Middle East region.▶ Flying the Climate Activist Flag
Bloomberg Businessweek September 23, 2019