00:00The economy and Republicans will suffer if we don't face up to the growing immigration crisis.
00:11Hello, I'm Steve Forbes and this is What's Ahead, where you get the insights you need to better navigate these turbulent times.
00:18President Trump pulled off a miraculous achievement by shutting our once-opened border within months of resuming office.
00:25So much for the Democrats whining that this was a problem that would take years to resolve.
00:32And he has won wide praise in relentlessly pursuing and deporting gang members and other criminals who illegally got into our country.
00:41But now comes a different, more difficult challenge.
00:45What to do about the millions who entered the U.S. illegally?
00:48Not just those who came in during the Biden administration, but also those who have resided here for years, even decades.
00:56Most have been otherwise law-abiding and have sunk deep roots here.
01:01Then there are those, estimated to be about 2.5 million, who are brought here as minors by their parents and are referred to as the dreamers.
01:09The impact of broader sweeps to catch and deport illegals who are not otherwise lawbreakers is starting to impact parts of the economy.
01:18Most notably, agriculture, construction, and hospitality.
01:22The president himself has said he doesn't want to harm our nation's farmers.
01:27If crops and fruits are partially harvested, food prices will go up.
01:32This makes for a rotten politics.
01:35The residential force, such as house cleaners, landscapers, and aides for the elderly, will be increasingly affected as well.
01:42The public will react more and more negatively to mass arrests of immigrants who have been law-abiding other than entering the country illegally.
01:51President Trump has the need and credibility to make several moves to deal with this situation.
01:57Concerning the dreamers, the president should push legislation to make them permanent residents and end the endless uncertainty.
02:05Many now are raising families and pursuing careers.
02:09They wouldn't have the right to vote.
02:11Dealing positively with this particular issue has broad-based support.
02:15Work programs should be enacted for agriculture, construction, and perhaps service industries,
02:21whereby immigrants could legally come into the country and work in areas where they're needed for periods of time.
02:27The need for skilled people here is real.
02:30That's why H-1B visas for high-tech immigrants should be simplified.
02:35Arbitrary caps should be removed.
02:37Let the number be determined by actual need.
02:41We badly need a scalpel approach on would-be students from other nations instead of the current blunder-buss methods.
02:48We don't want to lose future talent to other countries.
02:51Almost half of our largest countries were founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants.
02:56For the millions of current illegal residents, an approach should be devised where they could apply for at least a temporary residency
03:04by paying a fine and or showing they have paid taxes, particularly payroll taxes, for Social Security and Medicare.
03:12Of course, they cannot have a criminal record.
03:14For the million or so people who, in the words of the administration, have self-deported,
03:20they could be allowed to apply to come to the U.S. again, but go through the legal process like every other would-be resident.
03:28All this naturally underscores the need to drastically simplify our current immigration system.
03:35People who play by the rules can find themselves in limbo for years.
03:39I'm Steve Forbes. Thanks for listening.
03:42Do send in your comments and suggestions.
03:44I look forward to being with you soon again.
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