(I promise I have more to say than just 'America is built on the backs of immigrants', which everyone should already know by the way.)
So yes, we've made it through another week of 'no news in America is shocking news anymore', and personally I feel like I've gone through another week of 'what should I write this week out of a million things piling up in my head.' It would be unnatural of me if I only addressed Black Lives Matter but not 'immigrants' futures matter'. Since there are so many categories of immigrants, I want to hone in on the category that I relate to the most in this week's post: foreign-born students and workers in America.
To be honest, I wish I could say that I cried when the news about work visas being officially suspended for foreign students came out, but I didn't. I laughed. Why? Because ironically enough, after all the values, hard work, and money (yes, tons of money) that we've contributed to this country, America still can't seem to have figured out why it is great yet. It's like being in a relationship with a hot partner whom you love so much, but you have to remind them every single day what makes them amazing as their toxic friends keep fueling their self-doubt and luring them into believing that they'd better off breaking up with you (if you know who toxic friends I'm talking about).
Anyway, enough of figurative speaking. Let's get to the point.
The point is: Eliminating work opportunities for immigrants will not help but only harm America, and it is America's problem to solve.
Some say that doing so will help the economy by lowering the unemployment rate and the spread of the coronavirus. Well...
- Do you know how expensive education in America is?
Yeah, we pay that in full.
- Do you know your benefits from tax payments?
Yeah, we contribute to your benefits in full.
- Do you know the job you have now was likely created because total spending increased in the US market?
Yeah, you know Crazy Rich Asians... I'm kidding, but yes, we spend.
- Do you know the job you have now was likely created also because your employer could acquire the special skills and talent they needed, which allowed them to expand both in net worth and human capital?
Yeah, we're pretty smart, and more importantly, we work f*cking hard.
We're not here to 'steal' your job – WE CREATE YOUR JOB AND HELP BOOST YOUR ECONOMY. Eliminating work opportunities for foreign students in America would result in a total of 443,000 jobs would be lost in the economy by 2028, and 255,000 fewer positions for native-born workers. Of course, this will lower people's desire to come to America even to study (because why should they?), which means another $40 billion is likely to walk away from America to other international student-friendly destinations such as Canada, Australia, or the UK.
Immigrants have options. We can go to any country that needs us and appreciates our values, but my dear America, you will fall behind if you allow that to happen. When you see immigrants walking away from this beautiful land, it's not our loss. It is America's loss.
Don't lose us.
Oh and with regards to banning immigrants to prevent the spread of coronavirus, funny how it turns out that a quarter of all the cases in the world are actually spread within America.