Has the U.S. forgotten how critical a vibrant immigrant community and a functioning immigration policy are to the nation’s economy?
A showdown is expected today in the U.S. Senate on a Homeland Security spending bill that would derail President Obama’s recent actions on immigration.
What seems lost in this “inside-the-Beltway” political fight is what the immigration debate should really be about. America is a nation of immigrants, but many seem to have forgotten — or maybe just don’t understand – how critical a vibrant immigrant community and a working immigration system are to the economic health of the U.S.
Today, immigrants are more likely than native-born Americans to be entrepreneurs, according to data from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Additionally, in Silicon Valley, 44% of startups have at least one immigrant founder. And, 40% of all Fortune 500 companies were started by immigrants or children of immigrants.
