MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Twenty-one leaders of Tennessee’s colleges and universities have sent a letter to the state’s two U.S. senators, urging their support for immigration reform that will allow more graduates to remain in the country after they finish their education.
The letter dated Wednesday asks Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker to back a bipartisan plan that would ensure that foreign-born students educated in U.S. universities will have a clear path to work in this country after graduation.
The educators say current immigration policy threatens “America’s preeminence as a global center of innovation and prosperity” because of its inability to retain skilled foreign-born graduates. A limited number of visas forces U.S.-educated immigrants to leave the country or face long wait times for a permanent visa, the letter said.
Meanwhile, competing economies are welcoming scientists, engineers and other U.S.-educated professionals with streamlined visa applications and by creating dedicated visas for them, the letter said.
“The important role immigrants play in American innovation must not be discounted or diminished; their contributions and inventions lead to new companies and new jobs for American workers, and are an enormous boon to our economy,” the letter said.
Congress is working on an immigration reform bill. Some lawmakers want a bill that includes a pathway to citizenship for immigrants here illegally, an idea that’s been met with deep skepticism by others.
Leaders of more than 150 universities and state university systems sent a letter to President Barack Obama and House and Senate leaders last year, pushing them to work together on immigration reform. That letter contained language similar to wording used in the letter from Tennessee educators.
University leaders in Ohio and Kentucky also sent letters backing immigration reform to their U.S. senators this year.
The letter from Tennessee’s educators says more than eight times as many foreign-born people currently live in the state compared with 50 years ago. State political leaders have been hesitant to push for immigration reform.
The letter describes a “growing skills gap across America’s industries,” claiming that the United States is projected to face a shortfall of 230,000 qualified advanced-degree workers in scientific and technical fields by 2018.
“We simply cannot afford to wait any longer to fix our broken immigration system,” the letter said.
Among those who signed the Tennessee letter are John Morgan, Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents; Jimmy Cheek, Chancellor of The University of Tennessee in Knoxville; Nick Zeppos, Chancellor of Vanderbilt University; and Shirley Raines, President of the University of Memphis.
