8 ms·

So if Trump's problem is only with illegal immigrants, I'm sure he and his supporters would be more than happy to relax immigration policy and regularize the il

So if Trump's problem is only with illegal immigrants, I'm sure he and his supporters would be more than happy to relax immigration policy and regularize the illegal immigrants that are already in the U.S., thus solving the issue?

fooker 10y ago
Well, he seems to plan the J1 and the H1B Visas. So, he is seemingly against potential legal immigrants too..
- nnd 10y ago
  H1B program is completely broken and is heavily abused by Indian bodyshops. US needs a skill-based migration system, like any other developed nation.
  - fooker 10y ago
    That would be awesome, if it was actually possible. The reason it is not done is that suddenly it would become much more difficult for Americans to get high paying jobs. H1B's lottery system is infuriating for those who go through it, but it is quite difficult to exploit deterministically. Who would you prefer coming to the US? 50000 semiskilled workers from TCS/Infosys/etc, or 50000 extremely talented engineers that will be no-brainer hires for any company every year?
hueving 10y ago
If someone steals money from you, you don't gift it to them to stop them from being a thief. The illegal immigrants that are here should have to go through the same process as the rest of us immigrants. Otherwise it's just moral hazard disincentivizing immigrants from following the legal process.
- carapace 10y ago
  I was talking with a Chinese coworker who had the same objection: He had gone through the arduous proper channels to immigrate, and wondered why the folks who came here illegally should be granted special favor. It seems unfair to him. I pointed out that many of the people here now as "illegal immigrants" are an indispensable part of our society and economy. They are de facto citizens, denied the full benefits of citizenship. We can't throw them out because our economy would tank. The options are to leave them in a twilight class or legitimize them. I definitely think that people coming here should do so legally. I'm not sure what to do about "the Mexican Problem" (to describe it in 18th century terms.)

fooker 10y ago

Well, he seems to plan the J1 and the H1B Visas. So, he is seemingly against potential legal immigrants too..

nnd 10y ago
H1B program is completely broken and is heavily abused by Indian bodyshops. US needs a skill-based migration system, like any other developed nation.
- fooker 10y ago
  That would be awesome, if it was actually possible. The reason it is not done is that suddenly it would become much more difficult for Americans to get high paying jobs. H1B's lottery system is infuriating for those who go through it, but it is quite difficult to exploit deterministically. Who would you prefer coming to the US? 50000 semiskilled workers from TCS/Infosys/etc, or 50000 extremely talented engineers that will be no-brainer hires for any company every year?

hueving 10y ago

If someone steals money from you, you don't gift it to them to stop them from being a thief. The illegal immigrants that are here should have to go through the same process as the rest of us immigrants. Otherwise it's just moral hazard disincentivizing immigrants from following the legal process.

carapace 10y ago
I was talking with a Chinese coworker who had the same objection: He had gone through the arduous proper channels to immigrate, and wondered why the folks who came here illegally should be granted special favor. It seems unfair to him. I pointed out that many of the people here now as "illegal immigrants" are an indispensable part of our society and economy. They are de facto citizens, denied the full benefits of citizenship. We can't throw them out because our economy would tank. The options are to leave them in a twilight class or legitimize them. I definitely think that people coming here should do so legally. I'm not sure what to do about "the Mexican Problem" (to describe it in 18th century terms.)