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President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, which has led to large-scale arrests across the U.S., has drawn both praise and outrage. Trump and his supporters argue that his actions protect national security and American jobs by targeting undocumented immigrants. Opponents, however, contend that mass deportations not only separate families and harm communities but also remove workers who fill critical labor shortages in the agriculture, construction and service industries.
Watch the video above as Straight Arrow News contributor Adrienne Lawrence argues that America’s strength lies in its diversity and that we must demand humane immigration policies that welcome talent, foster innovation, and uphold our values.
The following is an excerpt from the above video:
Imagine a classroom where the brightest minds from around the world gather, not in the United States, though, but in Ireland, Canada or Germany. Picture companies across Europe and Asia thriving, not because of their homegrown talent, but because they welcomed the scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs who once came to America.
This isn’t a distant possibility. It’s our near future, with Donald Trump’s team moving forward with his immigration policies.
Immigrants have long been the backbone of American innovation. They make up 16% of the inventor workforce and contribute 23% of all patents. Immigrants founded, well, 55% of U.S. startups valued at over $1 billion, and they or their children founded two-thirds of the country’s unicorn companies.
These are the people driving our economy forward from Silicon Valley to Main Street, but Trump’s policies tell immigrants: You’re not welcome here. And as a result, a number of individuals who are documented and undocumented are self-deporting.
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