Immigration stays prominent—with an attitude change

The bill also includes several other issues that have been a priority for academic and industry scientists. The proposal would make it easier for people with advanced science, technology, engineering, or math degrees to stay in the US. It would eliminate the annual per-country cap on immigrants, which has created long backlogs for applicants from some countries, most notably India and China. And it would change US immigration laws to refer to an undocumented immigrant as a “noncitizen” rather than an “alien.”

One thing the proposal doesn’t include is immigration enforcement. Miriam Feldblum, executive director of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, says that not trying to address all possible aspects of US immigration could be a good approach. “It’s not trying to be the last word,” she says. But the bill also doesn’t focus narrowly on one topic.

“This will be very difficult to pass in its initial iteration,” Feldblum says. “At the same time, I think it’s important to note that the bill includes measures that have wide bipartisan support,” including the citizenship path for Dreamers, the elimination of country-specific caps on immigration, and a restoration of refugee programs.

Read the full article from Chemical & Engineering News here.