When someone thinks of an American Muslim in 2019, they usually wouldn’t think of a Pakistan-born, Republican activist pushing for deeply needed immigration reform. However, drawing from my background in the tech industry, as well as my experience as a former immigrant, I’m confident that President Trump’s new immigration proposal is exactly what’s needed.
I’ve been deeply skeptical of some of the administration’s prior immigration proposals. I was even met with an undue set of suspicions upon returning to the United States from Canada during the height of the “Muslim Ban,” the result of a likely misunderstanding for which I later received an apology. I’ve been particularly cautious when it comes to how plans are implemented and their effects on certain communities.
However, when taking the expanding tech industry and larger economic realities into account, it’s clear that this new immigration proposal, as threadbare as it may be in its early stages, has the potential to genuinely strengthen the nation while simultaneously helping immigrants.
For one, it has the power to reduce worker exploitation.
The new proposal directly places individuals who would have been previously only able to acquire temporary H1-B work visas on an immediate path to permanent residency through a points-based immigration system.
This system, as proposed by the administration, values “extraordinary talent, professional and specialized vocations, and excellent academic track records.”
This would enable immigrants to move around to competitors flexibly, better exercise their rights under employment laws, and not fear losing their jobs when asking for raises. The latter is crucial because it would result in upward market pressures that would price immigrant labor the same as American labor. If companies have to pay an immigrant and a U.S. citizen the same wage, they will be less incentivized to undercut American workers and try to replace them with foreign labor that will accept less money.
Before I started my own company, I worked for some very large firms around the country that used such strategies. A few of these companies knew they could fly in cheap foreign labor that would be hesitant to seek other opportunities and pay them $60,000 to $80,000 for jobs that, with their same experience, these workers could get $200,000 for on the market.
Granting immigrants the flexibility to negotiate like U.S. citizens would help end such corporate practices and ensure that the best and brightest immigrants are prioritized to come, stay, and assimilate.
And boy do we need them! As we enter a cold war of sorts with China, the future will be largely determined by the nation that is able to best manage and most quickly lead in the fields of artificial intelligence, 5G telecommunications, virtual reality, renewable energy, space exploration, autonomous vehicle technology, and overall automation.
As we have already seen in the Trump economy, with historically low rates of unemployment, we have plenty of room to keep growing. In order to keep thriving and to effectively rival China, we need workers. We especially need highly skilled workers to come support these new industries that are just now taking off.
One of the early criticisms from Democrats is that the issues surrounding recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are not specifically addressed within the new plan.
However, what they also conveniently disregard is that it’s likely more DACA recipients will become eligible to apply for green cards under the points-based system.
DACA recipients are often young, well-educated, fluent English speakers, all characteristics that are valued under this new immigration plan. Resolving issues for DACA recipients can ultimately be ensured with specific language that enables many recipients to file adjustment of status applications without having to leave the country and go through consular processing.
Moreover, providing a direct path of permanent residency also creates stronger due process rights for immigrants. For example, when an immigrant has lawfully met the statutory criteria to obtain a green card, they are provided protections all the way up to judicial review in determining their eligibility for these benefits.
Overall, this proposal maintains the current levels of immigration, keeps the immediate family visa system for children, spouses, and parents, strengthens border security, and provides America the people we absolutely need for a 21st-century economy and the technological revolution that is underway.
As we’ve all seen by now, Democrats have resisted any positive negotiations on potential legislation that might help the country finally reform the antiquated and out-of-control bureaucracy the U.S. immigration system has become.
I also find it frustrating that those who claim to champion progressive ideals are not coming to the table to have a rational discussion aimed at supporting the very communities they claim to help.
I understand the valid concerns of how this will be properly fleshed out on a legislative basis. But even in its infancy, it is en route to being far preferable to the status quo.
The best way to ensure its legislative composition is for Democrats to come to the table and help develop the proposal. Negotiation in this area would be a further boon, not just for the economy but for those seeking their own piece of the American dream.
Sabtain Ali is a Brooklyn-based tech entrepreneur, Muslim, and Republican activist. He is the president of Park Slope Solutions, a technology consulting firm, and was formerly elected as a precinct committeeman for the Seminole County, Florida GOP.
