The Trump administration has proposed several restrictions on foreign skilled workers in what it says is an attempt to create more job opportunities for American citizens. But a recent study from the University of California, San Diego, shows that less restrictions on immigrant rights enhance the lives and livelihoods of native workers, as they improve incomes, spark innovation, reduce crime and increase tax revenues. “We find there are several areas where strengthening migrant worker rights benefits native-born workers, outweighing any costs borne by them,” researchers Gaurav Khanna and Anna Brown found.
Any change to immigration law could hurt long-term plans around innovation and new ventures, as immigration encourages local investments. “These new businesses may lead to an increase in jobs and a larger tax base,” the researchers said. “While much of the literature has focused on the potential of H-1B visa-holders to develop new patents and technologies, there is strong evidence suggesting that this relationship between immigration and innovation holds more broadly.”
The researchers also say there could be a scarcity of high-skill professionals when the coronavirus pandemic ends. The tech industry and pharmaceutical research rely heavily on foreign students and workers. Some of the effects of immigration policy on certain sectors can be seen stemming from the six-year H-1B limit, which has shifted tech production from the U.S. to India. Yahoo
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Appeals Court Throws Out Travel Ban Challenges
On Monday, a federal appeals court ordered a lower court to throw out challenges to Trump’s travel ban against predominantly Muslim countries. A lower judge misinterpreted a Supreme Court ruling that found the ban has a “legitimate grounding in national security concerns,” a three-judge panel of the Richmond-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. “We conclude that the district court misunderstood the import of the Supreme Court’s decision in Hawaii and the legal principles it applied,” Judge Paul Niemeyer wrote in the unanimous decision. The Associated Press
Career Immigration Appeals Officials Reassigned
Career members of the Board of Immigration Appeals appointed prior to the Trump administration have been “reassigned” to new roles after they rejected a buyout, according to an internal email viewed by CQ Roll Call. “This is to inform you that effective June 8, 2020, you will be reassigned from your current position as Board Member (Senior Level) to the Appellate Immigration Judge position,” said an email that went out last week to nine career members. CQ Roll Call
