My point is not that the US should act directly in the interests of citizens of other countries. My point is instead that the US should act in its own interests

My point is not that the US should act directly in the interests of citizens of other countries. My point is instead that the US should act in its own interests. The US is a successful country today in large part due to its companies (a large part of which were founded/co-founded by migrants e.g. Google). If the US gives priority to mediocre locals versus good internationals, companies will have access to a weaker talent pool and suffer. Of course, I'm of course not saying internationals are always better than US candidates (in the obvious case where an American is better than the competition, hire them by all means). Would you rather a weaker economy but mediocre people get protected, or the less xenophobic approach: a stronger economy and more competition?