Skilled Foreign Workers Create New Employment For Americans

There is no doubt that the immigration system needs reform, but efforts to attach immigration issues to every proposal moving through Congress are no way to fix a broken system. In the current stimulus bill, an amendment has been proposed (the Sanders-Grassley amendment), which would bar recipients of TARP funds from hiring foreign workers under the H-1B temporary visa program for one year. The proposal reflects a failure to grasp the role of immigration in creating U.S. jobs and enhancing the international competitiveness of the U.S. economy. Recent studies make clear that the presence of skilled foreign workers whose abilities and talents complement those of native-born workers actually creates new employment opportunities for American workers.