Sen. Tom Cotton (R- Ark.) in an op-ed published Wednesday, “Fix Immigration. It’s What Voters Want,” clearly and succinctly describes the pro-American immigration policy we need — and the cheap labor interests that oppose it. Few Republicans in the Senate dare to so openly expose the greed of the business interests that fund so many GOP political campaigns. With Sen. Jeff Sessions leaving to serve as U.S. Attorney General, it is good to know that a man of Sen. Cotton’s courage and honesty is stepping forward to advance sensible immigration reform. Excerpts from Sen. Cotton’s column:
President-elect Trump now has a clear mandate not only to stop illegal immigration, but also to finally cut the generation-long influx of low-skilled immigrants that undermines American workers.
Yet many powerful industries benefit from such immigration… These same industries contend that stricter immigration enforcement will further shrink the pool of workers and raise their wages. They argue that closing our borders to inexpensive foreign labor will force employers to add benefits and improve workplace conditions to attract and keep workers already here.
I have an answer to these charges: Exactly.
Higher wages, better benefits and more security for American workers are features, not bugs, of sound immigration reform. For too long, our immigration policy has skewed toward the interests of the wealthy and powerful: Employers get cheaper labor, and professionals get cheaper personal services like housekeeping.
As immigrant labor has flooded the country, working-class wages have collapsed.
Our country, like any country, needs borders and must decide who and how many can cross those borders. We must make this decision with the well-being of all our citizens in mind. Today, that means a large reduction in legal immigration and a reorientation toward ultra-high-skill immigrants.
Read the entire column here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/opinion/tom-cotton-fix-immigration-its-what-voters-want.html?_r=0