Powerful media mogul Rupert Murdoch has urged the US to tackle immigration reform. He claims abolishing quotas on special visas and promoting immigrants to gain citizenship would boost innovation and growth.
Murdoch is also actively in favor of immigration reform in his home country of Australia. He has pressed the issue with the belief that looser border control both there and in the US would help to improve trade relations.
Rupert Murdoch Pleads for Immigration Reform
Murdoch published an opinion piece last month on the Wall Street Journal’s website, also owned by Murdoch. In the article he admonished US opponents of such a move as, “being dead wrong about the long-term interests of our country.”
Murdoch, a former immigrant and now American citizen stated: “One of the most immediate ways to revitalize our economy is by passing immigration reform.”
Rupert Murdoch Is Not Alone In His Opinion
He’s not alone in this thinking. He’s joining a collection of reform advocates who are all too aware some may be avoiding the issue in the run-up to November’s congressional election. Especially after the shocking defeat of House Republican Eric Cantor. Cantor was labeled “too eager” to strike a compromise with the Democrats.
Democrat US President Barack Obama is heavily in favor of the proposed new immigration laws. This would create a way for around 11 million undocumented residents to gain citizenship. It’s a nice thought for some. But a recently-passed bill via the Senate has been stopped in its path by the House of Representatives.
The clash is obviously halting any progress with the bill. But Murdoch has argued in favor of providing non-criminals currently living in the US with a way to gain citizenship. This would be by removing the need for a H1-B visa for foreign workers who are highly skilled. This would be teamed with strengthening border security.
United States Founded by Immigrants
The mogul gestured to a study conducted by the Partnership for a New American Economy (a group he is a member of) that mainly consists of business executives and mayors. It states over 40 per cent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by either immigrants or children of immigrants. Quite a convincing case, don’t you think?
Murdoch called Obama wise for holding back on taking firmer action over the proposed change, with hopes to resolve it with a more bipartisan solution.
“However, if Congress fails to even try to have this important debate, the president might feel tempted to act via executive order,” Murdoch said.
“I hope it doesn’t get to that point, given the furious political firestorm that would result.”
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Michael Niren
Mr. Niren is CEO of VisaPlace LLC and the President and Managing Partner of VisaPlace Legal Canada, an immigration law firm based in Toronto, and VisaPlace Legal US a law firm registered in The District of Columbia, USA. Mr. Niren is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section, American Lawyers Association, and an Associate Member of the American Bar Association.
