Mr. President,
You have an opportunity to have a real impact on the country's competitiveness for the next century. The key is to reform our outdated immigration system. We have more than 10 million undocumented workers in the country. These are, overwhelmingly, people who have come to work hard and have a chance at the American Dream—how American!
A process of legalization will enable the undocumented to continue to contribute to our economy; it will avoid breaking up families and allow these hard-working people to "come out of the shadows," pay taxes, and be active participants in our society. The reason we are in this mess is because our laws were written in the 1960s and are outdated. By not confronting this problem, our governments have forced businesses to deal with an unacceptable quandary: go out of business or hire undocumented workers. We are all at fault, and it is time to acknowledge it; history will judge our great country by how we choose to fix this problem.
Going forward we need to change our immigration laws and design a system for the 21st century. Fixing our immigration system is not just confronting the problem of undocumented workers. We need an intelligent immigration strategy and robust border security/enforcement mechanisms.
In the 21st century, human capital will be as important as investment capital. Our policies need to recognize this. Other countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others) are ahead of us; they have developed immigration laws that recognize their demographic realities and the need for human capital in the growth of their economy. We need to do the same.
On your first day, Mr. President, my recommendation is to create a bi-partisan group to develop a process and criteria to 1) legalize undocumented workers and 2) create a 21st century immigration strategy. One without the other will not suffice. I believe you will have support from both Republicans and Democrats. A new SuperPac, Republicans for Immigration Reform, will provide support for members of our party who want to fix our system and make immigration a competitive advantage; it has been so since the founding of our nation and now it is of critical importance.
I am sure you will secure support from Democrats who want to fix our dysfunctional and dangerously outdated immigration system. I know I speak for other Republicans who want to see you succeed in this strategic endeavor.
If we get this right, the 21st century will truly be an American Century. If we get it wrong–and only politicize this issue–then we will deny our country the global economic leadership it deserves.
Best wishes, Mr. President.
Carlos Gutierrez served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce between 2005 and 2009. Prior to his service at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Mr. Gutierrez served as chairman of the board and CEO of Kellogg Company. He is currently Vice Chairman of the Institutional Clients Group and a member of the Senior Strategic Advisory Group at Citi.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's January/February 2013 print edition.
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On Day One: Immigration Reform
January 14, 2013
Mr. President,
You have an opportunity to have a real impact on the country's competitiveness for the next century. The key is to reform our outdated immigration system. We have more than 10 million undocumented workers in the country. These are, overwhelmingly, people who have come to work hard and have a chance at the American Dream—how American!
A process of legalization will enable the undocumented to continue to contribute to our economy; it will avoid breaking up families and allow these hard-working people to "come out of the shadows," pay taxes, and be active participants in our society. The reason we are in this mess is because our laws were written in the 1960s and are outdated. By not confronting this problem, our governments have forced businesses to deal with an unacceptable quandary: go out of business or hire undocumented workers. We are all at fault, and it is time to acknowledge it; history will judge our great country by how we choose to fix this problem.
Going forward we need to change our immigration laws and design a system for the 21st century. Fixing our immigration system is not just confronting the problem of undocumented workers. We need an intelligent immigration strategy and robust border security/enforcement mechanisms.
In the 21st century, human capital will be as important as investment capital. Our policies need to recognize this. Other countries (Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others) are ahead of us; they have developed immigration laws that recognize their demographic realities and the need for human capital in the growth of their economy. We need to do the same.
On your first day, Mr. President, my recommendation is to create a bi-partisan group to develop a process and criteria to 1) legalize undocumented workers and 2) create a 21st century immigration strategy. One without the other will not suffice. I believe you will have support from both Republicans and Democrats. A new SuperPac, Republicans for Immigration Reform, will provide support for members of our party who want to fix our system and make immigration a competitive advantage; it has been so since the founding of our nation and now it is of critical importance.
I am sure you will secure support from Democrats who want to fix our dysfunctional and dangerously outdated immigration system. I know I speak for other Republicans who want to see you succeed in this strategic endeavor.
If we get this right, the 21st century will truly be an American Century. If we get it wrong–and only politicize this issue–then we will deny our country the global economic leadership it deserves.
Best wishes, Mr. President.
Carlos Gutierrez served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce between 2005 and 2009. Prior to his service at the U.S. Department of Commerce, Mr. Gutierrez served as chairman of the board and CEO of Kellogg Company. He is currently Vice Chairman of the Institutional Clients Group and a member of the Senior Strategic Advisory Group at Citi.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's January/February 2013 print edition.
