CFR Task Force Recommends Moving Forward on Immigration Reform

A new Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) independent task force has released its report on U.S. immigration policy. The group not only recommends the Obama administration and Congress move forward with comprehensive immigration reform, but warns "continued failure to devise and implement a sound and sustainable immigration policy threatens to weaken America’s economy, to jeopardize its diplomacy, and to imperil its national security."

The Task Force recommends that a new effort to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill be a first-tier priority for the Obama administration and Congress, and that such an effort be restarted without delay. The Task Force is encouraged by the early signs from the administration that immigration reform is high on the agenda and that efforts will begin promptly to move ahead with legislation. but reforming immigration laws is not enough. At the same time, the United States needs to invest in making the immigration system operate more effectively.

This bipartisan task force, launched last June, is co-chaired by former Florida governor Jeb Bush and former White House chief of staff Thomas "Mack" McLarty. In a CFR interview, Jeb Bush explained why the U.S. needs immigration reform:

The fact is that our immigration policy has been a huge benefit to our country [in the past] and to get it right gives us a competitive edge economically, and it also helps our country to continue to be dynamic, ever-changing in a positive way. In the long run, this is really important for our country to get right and that should be where the focus is.

A CFR news release outlines the recommendations made by the task force for legislation and administrative reforms that would be part of an immigration policy that better serves America’s national interests:

• Comprehensive immigration reform: A new effort to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill should be a first-tier priority for the Obama administration and Congress, and should be started without delay.


• Attracting skilled immigrants: The United States must tackle head-on the growing competition for skilled immigrants from other countries, and make the goal of attracting such immigrants a central component of its immigration policy. The report urges an end to the hard caps on employment-based immigrant visas and skilled work visas in favor of a more flexible system, the elimination of strict nationality quotas, and new opportunities for foreign students earning advanced degrees to remain in the United States after they graduate.


• National security: The Task Force calls for minimizing visa restrictions that impede scientific collaboration, noting that America’s long-term security depends on maintaining its place as a world leader in science and technology. The administration should also permit a broader effort by the U.S. military to recruit recent immigrants who are not yet citizens or green card holders, so as to bolster U.S. military capabilities.


• Employer enforcement: The Task Force supports a mandatory system for verifying those who are authorized to work in the United States, including a workable and reliable biometric verification system with secure documents. Tougher penalties should be levied against those who refuse to comply. It calls employer enforcement "the single most effective and humane enforcement tool available to discourage illegal migration."


• Simplifying, streamlining, and investing in the immigration system: Congress and the Obama administration should establish a high-level independent commission to make recommendations for simplifying the administration and improving the transparency of U.S. immigration laws. The government must redouble its efforts to reduce backlogs and other unnecessary delays by investing in the personnel and technology necessary for handling visa and immigration applications efficiently.


• Improving America’s image abroad: The administration and Congress should launch a comprehensive review of the current security-related restrictions on travel to the United States, with an eye toward lifting restrictions that do not significantly reduce the risk of terrorists or criminals entering the country.


• Border enforcement: The report favors the full implementation of the Secure Border Initiative to gain greater operational control of the country’s borders. It also calls for the expansion of “smart border” initiatives that use information technologies and targeting tools to help distinguish individuals who may pose a security risk to the United States while facilitating easier entry by the vast majority of legitimate visitors and immigrants.


• State and local enforcement: State and local police forces can and should be used to augment federal immigration enforcement capabilities, as long as this does not interfere with their core mission of maintaining safety and security in the communities they serve.


• Earned legalization: The Task Force favors a policy of earned legalization, not amnesty, for many of the illegal immigrants currently living in the United States. The DREAM Act, reintroduced in the 111th Congress, provides the right model by requiring that young people without status who wish to remain in the United States must attend college or perform military service and demonstrate good moral character in order to earn their eligibility for permanent residence.

The report concludes:

How America handles its immigration policy is vital to its standing in the world, and the failure to make significant improvements will have repercussions for years to come. Immigration has long been a secret to America’s success, and no issue will be more important for its success in the future. The administration and Congress have an opportunity to put the country’s immigration policy on a path to that future. This Task Force urges them to seize it.

The full report is available in PDF from the Council on Foreign Relations.