The forces driving immigration: An extended analogy

There are at least two elephants wandering Washington. They are impossible to miss. Lots of talk about them. Been happening for years. Capitol leaders have tried unsuccessfully to shoo them away. The two remain. They even have names: Ellis and Teresa.

Ellis, representing the island in New York Harbor and the millions of immigrants who passed through it, and Teresa, reflecting the Catholic nun and saint and the millions in need of the humanity she delivered, wander without regard for barriers and boundaries. They remind me of our nation's immigration system and its driving forces: our economy and international turmoil.

Ellis is the economic resource. He is full of energy and creativity. Our immigration system contributes both to national economic strategy. Energy via new workers at all skill levels, filling growing workforce holes created by retiring baby boomers and our declining birth rate. It also brings much-needed creativity. Immigrants start new businesses nationwide at greater rates than native-born entrepreneurs.

Name a country with a declining population and a healthy, growing economy. You can't. Economic health requires some measure of population growth. U.S. population growth from 2010 to 2020 was slower than in all but one decade in our nation's history. An immediate and dramatic increase in our birth rate will not add workers for at least 18 years. For the foreseeable future, our best option is an immigration system that is tuned to our economy.

Teresa, the protector, is torn between securing Washingtonians and sheltering the victims of world violence. Her effort continues our simultaneous desire for secure borders while also being a safe haven for victims of international disaster — manmade, natural or both.

There is plenty of work for Teresa to do. In recent years, refugee status has been granted to not only those fleeing political violence but also those escaping gangs and abusive spouses. Linking these situations are dysfunctional governments that cannot or choose not to protect their own citizens. President Joe Biden's initial refugee resettlement goal for this year was 125,000. Now, he says 62,500 is more realistic.

Ellis and Teresa will never simply disappear. U.S. demographics and world circumstances will not allow that. Unless we manage them, we will miss opportunities not only to strengthen our economy but also to secure our borders while making the world more humane.

1) Strengthening our workforce by passing both the DREAM Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The former will give almost 1 million young people who were brought to this country as children a path to citizenship. The latter will do the same for hundreds of thousands of farm workers. In both cases, their citizenship will depend on showing how they contribute to our economy and their communities.

2) Leading the world in refugee resettlement. Do this by providing sufficient funds to meet the president's goals. Current diplomacy to improve safety and economic conditions in the Central and South American countries is an added plus, advancing our world leadership while advancing southern border security.

There is nothing new about this list. Both bills have been introduced on multiple occasions. The DREAM Act has coauthors from both parties. It has passed the U.S. House twice, as has the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. The full Senate has never voted on either of them.

If these steps are taken, Ellis and Teresa will still be Washington fixtures, but they will be focused on contributing to our economy and national security.

Managing Ellis and Teresa will not end with the current "to do" list. Turns out, our immigration system, like many other parts of our nation's infrastructure, requires regular attention. A bipartisan team of House and Senate members needs to step forward not only to implement the immediate list, but also to take responsibility for future tuning.

All three leaders know that the development and growth of Minnesota's economy depends on population growth. That requires an up-to-date and fully functioning immigration system. One that makes both economic and national security sense.

We will have that immigration system only through real and persistent leadership. Klobuchar, Craig and Stauber should provide it. Whether or not they do will determine our elephants' future. Will Ellis and Teresa continue to roam Washington, doing as they please? Or will their strength and energy become part of our national strategy for job creation and security? That is entirely a function of leadership.