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New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition
Pursuing Bipartisan and Evidence-Based Immigration Policy
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NEWSLETTER TOPICS
The Future of U.S. Immigration
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THE FUTURE OF U.S. IMMIGRATION
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Consequences of Expected Global Population Decline
The Impact of Immigration on U.S.-Born Workers
Seasonal H-2B Workers Needed
International Students also Needed
Wong Kim Ark and the Arguments for Birthright Citizenship
Call for nominations for the 2025 Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards
News and Commentary
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As our leaders look for ways to reform the American immigration system, the New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition has emphasized the importance of reviewing evidence-based research to guide future policy development. In this issue of our newsletter, we call attention to some of this research and comment on its implications for the future of immigration in the U.S. | |
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The Consequences of Expected
Global Population Decline
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While the United States rightly assumes that large numbers of foreigners would like to settle in the U.S., we may be neglecting another development that may actually shrink the number of immigrants available to fill workforce shortages in the U.S. and other countries. According to researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine, over half of all countries in the world, including the U.S. have below replacement birth rates. Not only that, statisticians are predicting that by later in this century, world population – for the first time in 700 years – will start to drastically decline. Are we prepared to cope with these changes? Will competition to attract immigrants intensify among advanced economies? The Coalition will devote its next webinar to grappling with this issue. In the meantime, if you want more information about this profound change, check out this opinion piece in the New York Times and this report from the Bipartisan Policy Center. | | | |
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The Impact of Immigration
on U.S.-Born Workers
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On January 16, 2025, the Coalition organized a special program on “the Impact of Immigration on U.S.-Born Workers.” Our keynote speaker was Professor Exequiel (Zeke) Hernandez of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He critiqued the tendency to view immigrants either as "villains" taking jobs away from Americans or as "victims who deserve our compassion." Instead, he emphasized how immigrants not only contribute their labor and talent to the economy, they also consume goods and services, pay taxes, make investments that create jobs, and engage in innovation. Indeed, immigrants are 80% more likely to start businesses than U.S.-born workers. Professor Hernandez was joined by a distinguished panel of business and labor representatives. For more information and to watch a video of this program, click on this link. | |
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Seasonal H-2B Workers Needed
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The H-2B Workforce Coalition consisting of thousands of employers from the lodging, landscaping, seafood, restaurant, tourism, equine, forestry, amusement parks, golf courses, and other industries recently submitted a letter to President Trump asking for an increase in the annual cap of 66,000 workers in the H-2B seasonal/temporary worker category. This cap hasn't been changed since first established in 1990, although Congress has the authority to supplement the cap. Despite concerted efforts to hire American workers, the seasonal nature of these positions and the geographical location of many of these job openings -- in areas without large residential populations -- make it often impossible to hire U.S.-born workers. The Coalition estimates that a single H-2B temporary worker supports about four permanent U.S. jobs. For more information about the role of H-2B workers in the American economy, check out this report from the American Immigration Council. | |
International Students Also Needed | |
Just as H-2B workers have inspired the creation of a coalition, so have international students. Called the U.S. for Success Coalition and created about a year ago, the Coalition presently consists of 54 organizations working together to advance policies and practices that foster international student success. Mindful of growing international competition to attract these students, the Coalition is urging the federal government to organize a national strategy for international education. Although the foreign student population in the U.S. is the world’s largest, hitting a record 1.1 million in the 2023-24 academic year, there are worries that strict visa screenings by the Trump administration may severely lower the number of admissions. However, student visa approval rates barely changed during the first Trump administration, suggesting an appreciation for the potential benefits of this population to the American economy, especially if sufficient pathways to permanent residence are available. | |
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Wong Kim Ark and the Arguments for
Birthright Citizenship
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Among the most important Supreme Court decisions in American history was the U.S. vs. Won Kim Ark case decided in 1898. Born in the U.S. and therefore enjoying U.S. citizenship, Mr. Ark visited China temporarily for a second time in 1894. When he returned in 1895, unlike his first trip, he was denied admission on the grounds that he was not a U.S. citizen. This act of exclusion stemmed from the hostility towards the Chinese-American population at the time. After spending four months in boats in the harbor of San Francisco, the Supreme Court eventually ruled that the 14th amendment to the Constitution applied not only to African-Americans but to "all children...of resident aliens." According to legal historian Lucy Salyer, if such a constitutional principle were not in place, the U.S. would have become "colonies of foreigners," not a "nation of immigrants." According to a 2018 report by the Library of Congress, practically the entire Western Hemisphere grants birthright citizenship, including Mexico and Canada. Although President Trump's Executive Order on this topic has been blocked by the courts, the issue will likely end up once again at the Supreme Court. For anyone interested in learning more about the issue, the New School in New York City has scheduled a webinar on this topic on March 7. | | |
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THE COALITION WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS!
Check out our NJ Business Immigration Coalition policy goals here and if your company or organization (or you as an individual) agrees with our basic principles, we encourage you to sign up as a member of the Coalition. There is no fee to become a member.
Share your thoughts on the immigration reform challenges facing the United States. How is your industry affected? What specific reform proposals are you championing? What do you think about mass deportation?
Write us at: info@njbusinessimmigration.org
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The New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition,
c/o Einstein's Alley, P.O. Box 175, Plainsboro NJ 08536,
info@njbusinessimmigration.org
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THE NEW JERSEY BUSINESS IMMIGRATION COALITION | |
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