More Visas for Seasonal Workers, Fewer Illegal Border Crossers

In today ’sDallas Morning News, I havean op-ed that discusses a riddle of American immigration policy right now:The economy isroaring, and wages arerising, yet 2017was another year of virtually no illegal border crossings. On average, each Border Patrol agent apprehended just 16 people all year —one every three weeks, tied for the lowest rate since World War II. This is down from when Border Patrol agents apprehended an average of 261 crossers per agent in 1996.How is this possible?Newly released statistics from the Department of State give a plausible answer. They haven ’t disappeared: they’ve become legal… . From 1996 to 2017, the number of temporary visas issued to seasonal workers on farms and other industries increased tenfold, from 23,204 to 236,695.The figure below graphs these trends. As you can see, the housing bubble bursting briefly resulted in a crash in both legal entries and illegal entries, but as the economy has come back, the legal entries have soared, while the illegal ones have remained low.Guest Workers and Apprehensions of Illegal Border Crossers Per Border Patrol Agent, 1996 to 2017Sources:Border Patrol,State Department (2013 –2017)Congress should consider expanding and improving these guest worker programs. One proposal by Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA)would allow more H-2A guest workers to enter as farm workers, even if the job was year-round. This would benefit dairies, livestock, and other farms that currently have access to no temporary worker...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs