September 29 report: U.S. government officials and scholars believe that immigration is an important driving force for the sustained development of the U.S. economy and is also key to improving the global competitiveness of the U.S. economy. White House officials emphasized that the Obama administration is committed to advancing immigration reform and hopes to gain support from both the Democratic and Republican parties in Congress to ensure the comprehensive immigration reform bill is passed as soon as possible.
According to overseas media reports, do immigrants pay taxes? Do they increase the burden on U.S. society? Do they take jobs away from Americans? Such questions are the focus of the U.S. immigration policy debate and have become sensitive political topics, especially ahead of the midterm elections.
U.S. government officials praised the contributions of immigrants on September 28, emphasizing that the country needs to carry out comprehensive immigration reform. Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and Domestic Policy Advisor to President Obama, said that the multiculturalism and innovative spirit represented by immigrants have injected new vitality into the U.S. economy. Especially in today's interdependent economy, the competitiveness of the United States in the global economy has been enhanced by immigrants.
Visa Reform
However, U.S. immigration policy has not kept pace with the times. Barnes criticized the U.S. visa system for causing the country to lose a significant amount of rare talent and stated that it needs reform.
She said: "Immigrants with innovation and creativity are attracted to the United States to receive a world-class education, but once they graduate, they must return to their home countries. What a waste! What a ridiculous waste of talent! What a serious loss for our country! These are exactly the immigrants who are willing to start businesses, innovate, and create. The U.S. economy needs these immigrants."
Lydia Tamez, Director of Global Immigration at Microsoft, said that Microsoft is a global company with frequent personnel movement, but U.S. visa policy has not provided the necessary convenience for this; on the contrary, it has set up obstacles.
She said: "We need to continue to pay attention to the sensitivity of B-1 visas. We sometimes need this visa to allow relevant personnel to come to the U.S. to attend meetings. Sometimes we cannot even get Microsoft employees working at our R&D centers in China to come to the U.S. for meetings using this visa, even though these meetings are intended to showcase the outstanding progress of Microsoft's R&D centers around the world."
Steven Hyman, Provost of Harvard University, said that now is a critical period for global talent mobility, and the U.S. visa system should be reformed to meet the needs of the times and play a positive role in the national economy.
He said: "There is a lot of talent in China, and there is also a lot of talent in India, and they already speak English. It is a good thing that talent mobility exerts creativity all over the world. From the perspective of U.S. global competitiveness, if we think that we do not welcome immigrants or keep them out, and that the United States will continue to attract talent from all over the world, we are only fooling ourselves."
Tax Payments Exceed Service Expenditures
Another focus of the immigration policy debate is whether immigrants pay taxes and whether they increase the social burden. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said on the 28th that tax records show that immigrants are an important source of tax revenue for New Mexico and an important driving force for economic development; the claim that immigrants do not pay taxes lacks evidence. He opposes the immigration legislation signed by the Governor of Arizona because the legislation does not fully recognize the positive effects of immigrants on the economy and society.
He said: "Immigrant rights advocates in New Mexico claim that the amount of taxes paid by immigrants exceeds the government's service expenditures for them; similar studies in Texas have reached the same conclusion. I hope the Obama administration and Congress can finally advance a comprehensive immigration reform plan."
Barnes cited research from the Congressional Budget Office, pointing out that immigrant tax payments are an important source of national tax revenue, which can help overcome the difficulties facing the national economy and far exceed related government welfare expenditures. She criticized some minority party members in Congress for deliberately blocking immigration motions from being discussed in the Senate before the midterm elections, solely for the sake of votes. She emphasized that President Obama is committed to comprehensive immigration reform and is willing to work with Republicans to advance it.
She said: "Ignoring these challenges might be beneficial for the next election, but it is not good for our country, nor is it good for the long-term prosperity of the nation. This is why President Obama has instructed his White House team and cabinet members to work hard to pass the comprehensive immigration reform bill. Over the past year and a half, the President's cabinet and all members of the White House have been in frequent contact with stakeholders across the country and key members of both parties in Congress."
Barnes hopes that the new Congress will be able to pass the comprehensive immigration reform bill soon.