US Immigration

Changing Viewpoints on Immigrants and the U.S. Economy

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Changing Viewpoints on Immigrants and the U.S. Economy

A new book entitled, “Immigrant Inc.” maintains that skilled immigrants enhance the U.S. economy and are crucial to its future success. This opinion vastly differs from the viewpoints expressed by former TV host Lou Dobbs who would continuously discuss the economic perils that undocumented immigrants in the U.S. promote. The authors, immigration attorney Richard Herman and Robert Smith, maintain that would-be immigrants include "brilliant engineers, high-technology specialists, investors and merchants almost certain to become entrepreneurs. "The authors criticize outdated immigration laws that only offer much bureaucratic red tape to these would-be immigrants. The book lists specific corporations that were founded by immigrants, including Dow Chemical, DuPont, Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble, Google, Yahoo, Intel, PayPal and YouTube. Interestingly, the authors point out that our immigration system currently “discriminates” against talented professionals and that only 9 percent of green cards go to individuals coming to the country to pursue a profession or start a company.