In the last few days, an argument erupted between Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and the MAGA base over skilled immigrants. This is a false argument. That Trump stepped in and supported Musk is a clear indication of how serious and important this issue is to growth and prosperity in the U.S.
We need an “all of the above” strategy, combining the best and brightest from around the globe alongside our own home-grown talent.
A disagreement has emerged over a fundamentally broken and contentious system: immigration. For their part, Ramaswamy and Musk are facing backlash from the MAGA base for supporting the H-1B work visa, which is typically reserved for people who “perform services in a specialty obligation.”
The skilled migration program known as H-1B is not just about bringing in skilled immigrant workers, it also provides a pathway for foreign students who enroll and graduate from America’s universities to stay and innovate using their unique skills — on American soil.
This visa has also been a crucial tool for Silicon Valley’s exponential innovation and growth. Ramaswamy and Musk are exactly right when they claim that this program is “essential for America to keep winning.”
The state of our fiscal affairs is grim. We add approximately $1 trillion dollars to our national debt every 100 days. A common saying in business is, “you can’t cut your way to growth.” This holds for the U.S. economy and our fiscal health. To get our debt and deficit under control, we’re going to need innovation and growth on top of reining in government spending.
When it comes to homegrown Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) talent, U.S. students ranked 28th out of 37 OECD member countries in math and 12th in Science. In other words, we’re not exactly leading the international field when it comes to STEM innovation. This situation is raising concerns for many economic forecasters. According to Korn Ferry, by 2030 more than 85 million jobs could go unfilled because there aren’t enough skilled workers to fill them. This is projected to amount to an $8.5 trillion talent shortage.
American industry needs these skilled migrants. The domestic market simply does not deliver enough skilled workers for American businesses to compete, grow and deliver the innovation the U.S. needs to enhance its standard of living and maintain its leading edge.
Meanwhile, our Canadian neighbors realized the comparative advantage of a highly skilled work visa program. In June 2023, Canada’s Minister of Immigration announced their “Tech Talent Strategy” to embrace “Canada’s emerging role as a leader in global tech talent recruitment and attraction to ensure Canada is not only filling in-demand jobs today but also attracting the skills and business talent to create the jobs of tomorrow.” Research indicates that immigrants are more likely to become entrepreneurs, so it’s natural for Canada to want to attract this innovative demographic.
Perhaps as a result of the complicated U.S. immigration system, over 6,000 former U.S. H-1B visa holders went to Canada. Economists tend to agree that adding highly skilled immigrants is beneficial for the economic health of a nation. What’s more, Americans hold a similar view. In polling conducted in December by the Independent Center, respondents were asked if they believed entrepreneurial grants to first-time business owners and foreign-born U.S. residents would help or hurt the American dream.
Nearly half of respondents claimed that it would help the American Dream.
Need further convincing? Consider that 224 companies on the 2023 Fortune 500 list were founded by “New Americans.” That’s a whopping 44.8 percent!
The research is clear: highly skilled immigrants not only make America great, but they give America the limitless potential to become even greater.
Americans are hungry for a vibrant meritocracy where the best and brightest rise to the top. This is what made the American Dream so alluring to millions of immigrants. If you came to this country and worked hard, you had the potential to achieve greatness and prosperity.
Ramaswamy astutely notes this in writing, “’Normalcy’ doesn’t cut it in a hyper-competitive global market for technical talent.” This meritocratic culture that “prioritizes achievement over normalcy; excellence over mediocrity; nerdiness over conformity; hard work over laziness” is represented by these highly skilled immigrants that want to come here, hustle and make a name for themselves.
Let’s not forget, the Trump administration is gearing up for a trade war with China as tensions in the Indo-Pacific region escalate. If we continue to attract the best and brightest minds, we’ll continue to innovate and our economy will continue to grow. This is how the USSR was defeated and the Cold War ended.
Political independents know that our immigration system is broken. Further polling conducted by the Independent Center notes that only 11 percent believe our immigration system is working, while 82 percent think we can do better.
America needs leadership. Recognizing the crucial role of skilled workers is a viable place to start.
Adam Brandon is the Independent Center’s strategic advisor.
