DENNIS NIXON: Reform The H-1B Visa Program To Increase America’s Workforce

North America represents the world’s most powerful trading bloc, built on the integration of people and goods across borders. As China aggressively expands its economic influence globally, we must embrace comprehensive immigration reform to maintain this competitive edge.

The United States is facing a demographic crisis. Americans are not having enough children to replace retiring workers, with birth rates falling to historic lows. Combined with increasing life expectancy and millions of retiring baby boomers, we are facing severe labor shortages that will slow economic growth.

Over the past 60 years, most of America’s population growth was attributed to higher birth rates, but those rates have decreased below what is needed to maintain population growth. Without immigration, our population—and workforce—will continue to shrink.

Essential industries like construction, agriculture, and manufacturing depend on low-skilled labor, but fewer Americans are willing to take these jobs. We need approximately 600,000 to 650,000 low-skilled workers every year to keep our economy growing. However, as our workforce becomes more highly educated, there are simply fewer people available to fill these jobs.

Pursuing President Trump’s goal of 3% growth depends on having enough workers to produce goods and services. Fewer workers mean less production. (RELATED: Trump Admin Arms Brand New Special Agent Force To Crack Down On Immigration Fraud) 

While the Trump administration pursues policies encouraging native-born babies and fewer immigrants, research by The Committee to Unleash Prosperity shows immigrants can help solve this crisis in multiple ways.

In 2022, foreign-born women in the U.S. had 30% more children than native-born women, helping offset our declining birth rates. Immigrants are also more likely to be of working age compared to native-born Americans, a population with a higher share of seniors and children. They are twice as likely to be in prime working ages and accounted for nearly half of the workforce growth over the last decade.

Immigrants increase the number of workers relative to the total population, helping offset the growing cost of programs like Medicare and Social Security that support our aging population and contribute to large budget deficits.

Immigrants don’t just fill jobs, they create them. Three of the founders of the “Magnificent Seven” tech companies are immigrants. Also, more than 45% of Fortune 500 companies are founded by immigrants or their children, with a combined revenue greater than the GDP of countries like Germany, Japan and India. These businesses generate tax revenue, create jobs and strengthen the U.S. economy.

Despite the clear economic benefits, some people still fear immigrants taking jobs from Americans and increasing crime. The data says otherwise. Texas and Florida had lower unemployment than New York and California, despite higher immigration. With respect to crime, immigrants have lower crime and incarceration rates than Americans.

Immigrants are here because they come for economic opportunity, a chance to participate in the American Dream. Without immigration reform, we will continue to starve our economy of the workforce and entrepreneurship needed to grow.

We need sensible reform of the H-1B visa program for high-tech workers, as demand routinely exceeds the annual regular cap of 65,000 and the master’s cap of 20,000 for workers with advanced degrees. And we need sensible reform for seasonal workers, such as the Bracero Program 2.0 Act, introduced by Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, that would support the agricultural sector by fixing the broken H-2A visa program.

The skeptics who dismiss the facts about legal immigration continue to dismiss the data. With 79% of Americans saying immigration benefits the country, we cannot let outdated fears or political gridlock stand in the way.

Immigrants have long been the backbone of our economy. Increasing our workforce through immigration reform will help the United States remain globally competitive. America’s future depends on legal immigration.

Dennis Nixon is president and CEO of IBC Bank.

 The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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