1 00:00:02,270 --> 00:00:05,310 I am the proud son of immigrants from Bangladesh. 2 00:00:05,310 --> 00:00:10,969 I was raised in New York City, which has benefited enormously from the energy and ambition of 3 00:00:10,969 --> 00:00:15,340 the millions of people born abroad who’ve chosen to make it their home. 4 00:00:15,340 --> 00:00:21,700 But I also believe that America’s immigration system needs to work for America, and right 5 00:00:21,700 --> 00:00:24,240 now, that is simply not the case. 6 00:00:24,240 --> 00:00:27,380 We need a new immigration system. 7 00:00:27,380 --> 00:00:29,120 So what should it be? 8 00:00:29,120 --> 00:00:35,520 We’re often presented with two stark choices: Severe restrictions or open borders. 9 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:37,400 I think there’s a better way. 10 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:41,640 But before I offer a solution, let’s look at the usual suspects. 11 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,580 The case for open borders is, on the surface, pretty attractive. 12 00:00:45,580 --> 00:00:49,520 Tens of millions of people around the world would be grateful to come to America for the 13 00:00:49,520 --> 00:00:52,560 chance to live in peace and earn a decent living. 14 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,420 The vast majority of them mean us no harm. 15 00:00:55,420 --> 00:00:59,100 Why not give them a chance to share in the blessings of liberty? 16 00:00:59,100 --> 00:01:03,320 The simple answer is that our country is more than just a marketplace. 17 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:07,280 We’re a democracy based on a social contract. 18 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:13,219 Americans pay taxes so that, among other things, the poorest, most unlucky among us can still 19 00:01:13,220 --> 00:01:16,300 lead decent and dignified lives. 20 00:01:16,300 --> 00:01:20,580 If you can’t work, you might be eligible for unemployment benefits or disability. 21 00:01:20,580 --> 00:01:24,640 If you do work but your paycheck doesn’t go far enough for you to afford medical care 22 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:29,280 or food for your kids, we have a safety net designed to help you stay afloat. 23 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:33,980 Liberals and conservatives disagree on how extensive this safety net ought to be, 24 00:01:33,980 --> 00:01:36,680 but they all agree it needs to be there. 25 00:01:36,689 --> 00:01:40,579 The question is, how we far are willing to stretch it? 26 00:01:40,579 --> 00:01:45,009 A century ago, immigrants who found they couldn’t make it in America had little choice but to 27 00:01:45,009 --> 00:01:46,360 go back home. 28 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:48,660 That is no longer the case. 29 00:01:48,660 --> 00:01:53,100 These days, immigrants who can’t earn enough to support their families have access to many 30 00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:54,880 government benefits. 31 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,420 That doesn’t make them bad people. 32 00:01:57,420 --> 00:02:02,780 In an age of offshoring and automation, wages for menial jobs don’t go very far. 33 00:02:02,780 --> 00:02:07,680 If we only admitted a modest number of low-skill immigrants—say, as political refugees— 34 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:09,700 we could easily handle it. 35 00:02:09,700 --> 00:02:14,740 But over the past forty years, we have allowed millions of low-skill immigrants into the 36 00:02:14,740 --> 00:02:17,780 country, both legally and illegally. 37 00:02:17,780 --> 00:02:20,220 While highly-educated immigrants pay far more in 38 00:02:20,230 --> 00:02:25,170 taxes than they consume in benefits, the opposite is true of immigrants with less than a 39 00:02:25,170 --> 00:02:26,980 high school diploma. 40 00:02:26,980 --> 00:02:32,920 Immigrant engineers working for Google, Amazon and Apple do just fine without government help. 41 00:02:32,920 --> 00:02:37,920 The immigrant janitors and busboys who serve them struggle to afford housing and to give 42 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:40,480 their kids a decent start in life. 43 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,040 Without government aid, many would go hungry. 44 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:48,400 If we were to open our borders, the number of low-skilled immigrants would skyrocket, 45 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,520 and so too would the cost of meeting their needs. 46 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:56,980 Ironically, this would only exacerbate the wealth disparity that so animates the open 47 00:02:56,980 --> 00:02:58,480 borders crowd. 48 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:02,340 Maybe the rich could wall themselves off in gated communities. 49 00:03:02,340 --> 00:03:07,060 But the growing ranks of the poor and even the middle class would have to deal with ever 50 00:03:07,060 --> 00:03:09,980 more strained social services. 51 00:03:09,980 --> 00:03:15,980 That could provoke resentment strong enough to set off real class warfare. 52 00:03:15,980 --> 00:03:22,080 If open borders are a bad idea, so too is severely restricting immigration. 53 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:25,680 For one, immigration has always been part of the American story. 54 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:30,660 And it continues to be an essential source of talent, from Silicon Valley to medicine 55 00:03:30,660 --> 00:03:32,260 to pro sports. 56 00:03:32,260 --> 00:03:37,080 Why shut ourselves off from the dynamism and energy that immigrants can bring? 57 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,620 Thankfully, there is a way to fix this problem. 58 00:03:40,620 --> 00:03:46,500 We can modernize the system to give priority to those who have strong skills and job offers— 59 00:03:46,500 --> 00:03:52,260 people, in other words, who will pay more in taxes than they need in benefits. 60 00:03:52,260 --> 00:03:58,660 Today, we admit about two-thirds of immigrants on the basis of family ties and only 15 percent 61 00:03:58,660 --> 00:04:00,660 on the basis of skills. 62 00:04:00,660 --> 00:04:02,960 We need a course correction. 63 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:07,700 We should limit family immigration to immediate family members—such as spouses and minor 64 00:04:07,710 --> 00:04:12,950 children—while greatly expanding the number of skills-based visas. 65 00:04:12,950 --> 00:04:18,440 A skills-based points system would be a huge boon for people around the world 66 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:20,560 looking to live the American Dream. 67 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:25,860 It would give them a predictable, step-by-step guide for how to better their chances 68 00:04:25,860 --> 00:04:27,600 at a green card. 69 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:32,320 Just as importantly, by prioritizing immigrants with strong skills, we’d make the safety 70 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:37,100 net much easier to sustain for those with low skills—whom we’d still admit, 71 00:04:37,100 --> 00:04:40,080 albeit at a more modest level. 72 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:44,820 Let’s announce to the world that if you’re ambitious, if you have skills we prize, 73 00:04:44,820 --> 00:04:47,120 the golden door is open. 74 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:52,940 If you can support yourself and your family, and add to our economy, we want you. 75 00:04:52,940 --> 00:05:00,220 If we aspire to an immigration system that works, this the most realistic—and idealistic—choice. 76 00:05:00,220 --> 00:05:05,760 I’m Reihan Salam, Executive editor of National Review, for Prager University.