State of Iowa – dwkcommentaries

Congressional Dysfunction Hampers U.S. Immigration Policies and Actions

A New York Times’ Editorial correctly castigates congressional dysfunction for hampering U.S. immigration policies and actions.[1]

The editorial simply states the dysfunction. “In the past year, more than a million people have entered the United States through the southern border, overflowing shelters and straining public services. Most of the newcomers claim asylum, a status that allows them to be in the country legally but leaves them in limbo. They often must wait years for their cases to be heard, and it can be a lengthy process to obtain legal permission to work.”

This dysfunction is a direct result of the Congress that “has failed to provide the necessary resources to welcome those who are eligible and to turn away those who are not. Instead, overwhelmed immigration officials allow nearly everyone to stay temporarily, imposing enormous short-term costs on states and cities that the federal government hasn’t done enough to mitigate.”

As a result, “the federal government’s negligence is fueling anger against immigrants and stoking divisions” and a “devastating failure to protect people from smugglers, who have made sneaking people into the United States a big business, or from exploitation after they arrive.”

Yet the U.S. needs immigrants to satisfy the demand for more workers. Congress could “raise the level of legal immigration — by increasing the quotas for employment visas and other categories that allow people to come to the United States legally and have the chance to become permanent residents and then citizens.” [2]

The editorial notes that “Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah and Gov. Eric Holcomb of Indiana. . . [are] offering to sponsor immigrants, citing more than 300,000 job vacancies between the two states. ‘In meaningful ways, every U.S. state shares a border with the rest of the world, and all of them need investment, markets and workers from abroad,’ they wrote. ‘That border can remain an embarrassment, or it can become a big asset to us once again.’” These two states, therefore, can join the State of Iowa, which has established state agencies to welcome the resettlement of refugees and other immigrants to meet Iowa’s need for more workers.[3]

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[1] Editorial, The Cost of Inaction on Immigration, N.Y. Times (Oct. 7, 2023),

[2] E.g., U.S. Has Long-Term Labor Crisis, dwkcommentaries.com (Sept. 26, 2023).

[3] Iowa State Government Encouraging Refugee and Migrant Resettlement, dwkcommentaries.com (Feb. 3, 2023).

U.S. Has Long-Term Labor Crisis

The Wall Street Journal has set forth a detailed analysis of the U.S. long-term labor crisis.[1]

“Work experts have warned for years that the combination of baby boomer retirements, low birthrates, shifting immigration policies and changing worker preferences is leaving U.S. employers with too few workers to fill job openings. While the labor market is softening, none of those factors are expected to change dramatically in the coming years.”

“The U.S. birthrate—the number of births per 1,000 people—has been falling for decades, declining by about half since the 1960s.”

“Labor shortages can be eased by funneling more people into the labor force or making the current workforce more productive. That can be done through immigration; outsourcing more work overseas; tapping underutilized labor pools such as people with disabilities and the formerly incarcerated; and improving productivity through automation, training and refining business and production processes.”

“Offshoring, the scourge of the U.S. manufacturing workforce in the last decades of the 20th century, has lost favor with some business leaders after the pandemic highlighted the vulnerabilities of a global supply chain. Reshoring—bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.—is gathering momentum, backed by billions of dollars in government subsidies.”

“Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT could help, but the technology is too new to know exactly where large language models can be reliably applied in business or work settings.”

“That leaves immigration. After falling during the pandemic because of Covid-related policies, immigration has come back strongly. But it remains a divisive issue, and business leaders say the lack of a coherent, stable policy is contributing to the labor problem.”

Conclusion

This blogger agrees that U.S. should significantly revise its immigration laws to encourage the immigration of people who could be productive workers in our economy.[2] But the U.S. Congress currently is dysfunctional on many issues, including immigration.

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[1] Weber & Pipe, Why America Has a Long-Term Labor Crisis, in Six Charts, W.S.J. (Sept. 21, 2023).

[2] See, e.g., the following posts to dwkcommentaries.com: U.S. Afghan Special Visa Program Still Facing Immense Problems (Sept. 2, 2023); Overwhelmed U.S. Immigration Court System (Sept. 1, 2023):Increasing Migrant Crossings at U.S. Border Call for Legal Change (Aug. 16, 2023);Wall Street Journal Editorial: U.S. Needs More Immigrants (July 25, 2023); Other States Join Iowa in Encouraging Immigration To combat Aging, Declining Population (Feb. 22, 2023);More Details on U.S. and Other Countries’ Worker Shortages (Feb. 9, 2023);Iowa State Government Encouraging Refugee and Migrant Resettlement (Feb. 3, 2023).

Iowa State Government Encouraging Refugee and Migrant Resettlement

As a native Iowan who was born and raised in the State and as a supporter of refugees and immigrants, I was pleasantly surprised to learn from an article in the New York Times that Iowa’s state government has adopted and is implementing various programs to encourage these people’s resettlement in the State. [1] These conclusions were corroborated by that article and the preliminary research cited in this post.

The Iowa State Government has programs encouraging resettlement in the State by refugees and other migrants. The state’s “Republican governor, Kim Reynolds, and the state’s Department of Health and Human Services recently announced a program that supports refugees from around the world with a focus on Afghan people in particular. That includes providing grants to organizations that enhanced ‘community integration, English proficiency, digital literacy, banking and financial planning, transportation, health and wellness, services for older refugees and youth supports.” [2]

This effort is driven, in part, by Iowa’s need for more workers. “Iowa alone has over 75,000 job openings . . .[that] are depleting the state’s ability to meet growing manufacturing and service demands. Businesses are begging for workers at local economic development meetings. Employers are struggling particularly with shortages in key mid-skill industries, like health care, information and technology and tourism and hospitality.”

This article commends the following proposed immigration programs for Iowa:

Federal authorization of states to devise guest-worker programs under the auspices of the federal government (Department of Homeland Security) and state governments along the lines of a bill offered by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (Rep., WI).
The U.S. and other countries could establish bilateral immigration agreements that “would allow U.S. employers to train workers to obtain valuable skills . . . either in the United States or abroad, and then workers could come to the U.S. states that need them.”
Like the State of Washington, revise Iowa’s licensing laws to create a limited license for foreign medical graduates.

One of the authors of this article is Iowan David Oman, who was chief of staff for Iowa Republican governors Robert D. Ray (1969-83) and Terry Branstad (1983-99 & 2011-17) as well as Chair of the Iowa Republican Party (1995-1993) and the 1998 Republican gubernatorial candidate for Iowa . Other authors are Iowan Robert Leonard, the news director of two Iowa radio stations, and Kristie DePena, the vice president for policy and the director of immigration policy at the Niskanen Center in Washington, D.C. and the holder of a J.D. degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.[3]

Niskanen Center[4]

The Niskanen Center asserts that it believes, “Immigration policy is not just about how we treat others; it has direct implications for Americans. Done well, immigration policy reform can protect family values, strengthen national security, reduce unemployment, spur innovation, stimulate competition, increase public safety, enhance the U.S. economy, reinforce international relations, and help those most in need. Evidence consistently shows that innovation and entrepreneurship are good for America. Supporting legal immigration through refugee resettlement programs like DACA, green cards, and more is fundamental to our success as a nation; and our humanitarian policies are a cornerstone of our nation. But, perhaps most importantly, we believe that with very few exceptions, the immigrants coming to America do so for the right reasons, and we benefit by welcoming them.” More specifically, the Center focuses on the following areas of U.S. immigration policy reform:

“Encouraging the involvement of Americans in refugee sponsorship and resettlement and reforming our asylum system to expand capacity and enhance processing.”
“Creating and enhancing opportunities for innovation and frontier growth in America through legalization, a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, and reformed options to work in the U.S.”
“Enhancing domestic and international security and diplomacy through soft power and national security pathways.”
“Repairing our immigration adjudication system by creating independent courts and reforming the criminalization and prosecution of immigrants in the states.”
“Encouraging the involvement of Americans in refugee sponsorship and resettlement and reforming our asylum system to expand capacity and enhance processing.”
“Creating and enhancing opportunities for innovation and frontier growth in America through legalization, a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, and reformed options to work in the U.S.”
“Enhancing domestic and international security and diplomacy through soft power and national security pathways.”
“Repairing our immigration adjudication system by creating independent courts and reforming the criminalization and prosecution of immigrants in the states.”
“Encouraging the involvement of Americans in refugee sponsorship and resettlement and reforming our asylum system to expand capacity and enhance processing.”
“Creating and enhancing opportunities for innovation and frontier growth in America through legalization, a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, and reformed options to work in the U.S.”

Reactions

Congratulations to the government of the State of Iowa for this strong support for refugees and other immigrants.

However, the authors of this article fail to recognize the powerful resistance to immigration efforts in the U.S. Senate by Iowa’s senior U.S. Senator, Republican Charles Grassley. For example, in the last session of Congress Grassley blocked the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act, which would have prevented Afghan evacuees in the U.S. from being stranded without legal residency status when their humanitarian paroles expire in August 2023 and would have allowed them to apply for U.S. citizenship. [5]

The citizens of Iowa need to press Grassley to reverse course and immediately press for passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act and to take other steps to encourage resettlement of immigrants in the State.

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[1] Over 75,000 Job Openings in Iowa Alone. Millions of Refugees Seeking Work. Make the Connection, N.Y. Times (Feb.2, 2023)..

[2] See n.1; Iowa HHS Expands Support for Refugees; Announces RFP to provide wraparound supports, and other key initiatives (Jan. 6, 2023); Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources, Iowa HHS Expands Support for Refugees; (Jan. 6, 2023); Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources; Afghanistan Resources; Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources, Ukraine Resources; Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources, Venezuelan Resources; Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources, History of the Bureau of Refugee Services; Iowa Dep’t of Health & Human Resources, Frequently Asked Questions.

[3] David Oman, Iowa Capital Dispatch.

[4] Niskanen Center, Our Mission; Niskanen Center, Immigration: What We Believe; Niskanen Center Annual Report 2022.

[5] Amiri (AP), Afghan refugees’ status uncertain after U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley blocks residency bill, Des Moines Register (Dec. 30, 2022). See also these posts to dwkcommentaries.com: Need To Prod Congress To Enact the Afghan Adjustment Act (Dec. 17, 2022); Apparent Failure To Enact Bipartisan Immigration Bills (Dec. 18, 2022); Comment: Retired U.S. Military Leaders Support Afghan Adjustment Act (Dec. 19, 2022); Congress Fails To Adopt Important Immigration Legislation (Dec. 28, 2022); Comment: Other Reactions to Failure To Adopt Immigration Legislation (Dec.31, 2022).