Immigration reform has been resurrected from the dead, but that doesn't mean it is a done deal. Standing in the way are misperceptions and misconceptions about the impact of immigration on the economy—especially the low skilled variety. Reason Foundation Senior Analyst Shikha Dalmia participated in a briefing on Capitol Hill organized by the Cato Institute to dispel some of them. She cautioned against reforms that would privilege high-skilled over low-skilled immigrants, noting:
American employers—regardless of whether it is MacIntosh computer or MacIntosh Apples—should be allowed to decide what kind of immigrants they want, not bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. The high-skilled/low-skilled category is itself quite artificial. In fact, in Canada welding and plumbing is treated as high-skilled work for immigration purposes. The reality is that the labor market is a symbiotic system where every class of worker needs every other and you take away one and it makes it hard for everyone else to function. So it is very important we understand the vital role that so-called unskilled workers play in our labor market and the economy at large.
Watch the whole thing below:
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