Immigration

Originally published on Tumblr.

US immigration policy is bothering me more than it usually does.

My company has hired a brilliant scientist who happens to be British. We’ve hired him to be the cornerstone of our language and speech team. He’s stuck in England, and we don’t know why. The INS approved his O-1 visa weeks ago, but the consulate has so far refused to stamp his passport and won’t tell him or our immigration lawyers why. Our business is suffering, and he and his family are in limbo. His children don’t know whether they’ll be starting the school year in Cambridge or Austin.

I am obviously sympathetic with people wanting to come to the US to work, but I don’t believe that people who come here illegally should be granted the right to stay. That seems like a perfect way to encourage more people to follow suit.

Do I think we need to allow more high-skilled workers into the US? Yes. Do I think we need to allow more low or unskilled workers into the US? Yes. Do I think this process should be fair and transparent? Absolutely.

I listen to the local Spanish language radio station, and I don’t like what I’m hearing these days. It’s being used as a platform by lawyers and community organizers to teach people how to avoid being deported. It’s also being used to “teach” people that they have the same rights as American citizens. All this kind of misinformation can do is cause resentment when people discover it’s not true. I’m sure that none of the people working at the radio station are here illegally, so why do they allow or excuse this?

Immigration reform is a hot topic in my field. We badly need more software engineers, and we’re kicking them out after letting them go to school here. This is crazy. There’s a clear benefit to letting them stay. There’s also a clear benefit to letting lower-skilled workers immigrate to the US. But there is absolutely no benefit to encouraging lawlessness.