Although funding for the Department of Homeland Security has been settled (with Republicans once again learning the folly of taking a hopeless position) the need for bipartisan solutions to immigration reform remains. A good first step would be for the new Republican majorities in Congress to pass a bill expanding the number of H-1B visas, allowing more skilled people to come to our shores.
Immigration reform is needed for at least three reasons: the United States cannot expect to reassert control over its immigration policy until we resolve the status of those here illegally in a way that does not encourage future illegal migration; expanded legal migration is important to both economic growth and national security; and immigration by people with high-value skills can boost national productivity.
