3 ms·

You can't separate those things. Immigrants create conditions (prosperity) that make people want to immigrate.

• yucky 4y ago
  Is that a logical conclusion? Seems like other countries would do the same if it were that simple.
  • lukas099 4y ago
    Simple does not mean easy. It is hard to become a country that attracts the brightest immigrants in the world.
    • yucky 4y ago
      Isn't yours a recursive argument then? You say immigrants are what makes it attractive to immigrate here.
      • hackerlight 4y ago
        It's a positive feedback loop. Getting one started usually isn't a conscious policy choice. You have relatively better conditions to start with (no war, good location with stable climate, good civic institutions, limited immigration restrictions) which kicks off the virtuous cycle. Here's an example. The Irish famine led to Irish emigration down the road, which benefited the US and Australia. This wasn't a policy choice of the receiving countries. It was mostly luck. These kind of relative differences in liveability between the two countries (US > Ireland) leads to a positive feedback loop in the US.