So why are we bringing in 1.1 million legal permanent immigrants a year, mostly low-skilled, and 640,000 guest workers annually while we have the lowest labor participation rates in 38 years?
I question those numbers. I know that my wife counts in that number, as she just got her permanent green card. But she’s not low-skilled nor a guest worker (and we actually support several jobs here locally in SoCal, directly - not to mention enabling dozens elsewhere in our customers). And my experience is that most of those permanent immigrants are either mid-level themselves or sponsored in by people who can prove they can afford to sponsor them in (yes, I had to go through a background check AND income/wealth verification to show I could support her for 10 years - which is the requirement to sponsor in someone for a green card).
The problem IMHO is that a big part of US culture (specifically amongst minorities) began rejecting the concept of education and bettering yourself at the same time that you have to educate and better yourself to work in the new economy.
How many gang-bangers had ever considered they could be a programmer or engineer or skilled tech, just like the few of their peers who did forge ahead of that? How many decided on an “easy life” of being a sports star rather than the guy who designs the electronic lens system on the camera recording those sports stars?
In order to work with the automated systems, you need to be educated to at least a minimal level. Reading, writing, basic logic - all required to be able to run an entry-level CNC system. Without that, you’re screwed.
We need to change the culture first - and my suggestion would be to cut off all benefits for those who refuse to better themselves. Yes, painful. Yes, probably riots. But it’s going to take a massive change in culture first to make any domestic gains in blue collar employment.
I’m 100% OK with bringing in immigrants as long as they are skilled and the best and the brightest. We should actually encourage that! Why not drain the rest of the world of their talent and establish the US as the place for any advanced technology design and creation?
Personally, I’d rather work alongside an educated, intelligent immigrant who WANTS to be here, who WANTS to better his life and that of his family than a typical early 20s slacker who is content with floating through life on the Government dole. Give me a dozen Kedarnaths from Mumbai, here to work hard and better their lives than a hundred Jacquans who are fine taking welfare and bitching about “the man”.
The dozen from India will make America a LOT stronger and better for all than the hundred slackers we already have.