Michael Bloomberg: Not Passing Immigration Reform 'National
Suicide'
by Frances Martel 13 Dec 2013,
4:05 PM PDT
Mike Bloomberg is not
shying away from the spotlight in his post-mayoral career. The now-former New York
City mayor
appeared on Fusion to discuss, among other things, immigration reform with host Jorge Ramos, whom he told that
anything less than full reform would be "national suicide."
Bloomberg, appearing on Fusion's America with Jorge Ramos, responded to the
host's question as to why Republicans appeared to be "stalling" on
reforming America's
immigration laws. He had nothing kind to say about Republicans (and nothing at
all to say about Democrats) on the matter.
"It defies imagination why
anybody would postpone," an exasperated Bloomberg said. "We are
selling our birthright here." He then listed examples of what he believed
were good reasons to reform immigration policy by allowing more illegal
immigrants to remain in the country.
Bloomberg claimed that cracking
down on illegal immigrants has resulted in Americans "hav[ing] crops in
the field that rot because there's no people to pick those crops; Americans
don't want to do that work." This was, perhaps, an allusion to reports of
rotting crops in Washington, Alabama,
and Georgia
after immigration enforcement swept various farms.
However, these reports are better
interpreted as a matter of timing, given that they arose around harvest time,
giving farmers little time to find replacements. Georgia, moreover, resolved its
problem, hiring prisoners to harvest crops from the fields.
Agriculture was not the only
industry Bloomberg predicted would collapse without immigration reform. He
cited "engineers being educated here, and then they can't get a green
card" as another example of how the current system hurts the United
States, and alleged that, overall, the United States is "creating
industries overseas."
He did not address the evidence
that creating industries overseas is precisely, in many instances, the key to
solving America's
immigration problem. For example, Mexico's strengthening economy is
leading to fewer Mexicans saying they would illegally cross the border if they
had a chance. Mexico
is currently continuing to work to attract foreign investment by reforming its
energy laws to allow for more efficient exploitation of energy resources.
Ultimately, Bloomberg told Ramos
that anything less than full immigration reform was "national
suicide," but did not offer any particular measures that would improve the
immigration situation (Bloomberg has a particularly lackluster track record on
immigration specifics). Ramos, an outspoken supporter of immigration reform,
agreed.
Immigration
Lee
H. Hamilton is a co-chair for the Independent
Task Force on Immigration and America's Future, and is an honorary trustee
at the Brookings Institution (think
tank).
Note: Foundation
to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Harlem Children's Zone, the Robin
Hood Foundation, and the Aspen
Institute (think tank).
George
Soros is the chairman for the Foundation
to Promote Open Society, and was a benefactor for the Harlem Children's Zone.
Michael R.
Bloomberg was a benefactor for the Harlem
Children's Zone, a donor for the Robin
Hood Foundation, is the New York (NY) mayor, and a member of the Alfalfa Club.
Jeb Bush
is a member of the Alfalfa Club, and
an advisory committee member for the Hispanic
Leadership Network.
Hispanic
Leadership Network is an offshoot of the American Action Network.
Frederic V. Malek
is the founder & board member for the American
Action Network, a member of the Alfalfa
Club, and a trustee at the Aspen
Institute (think tank).
James S.
Crown is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member
of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Lester Crown
was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and is a
member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Commercial Club of Chicago,
Members Directory
Please note: This link for the
members of the Commercial Club of Chicago can no longer be found.
R.
Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP.
Michelle
Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Barack
Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin
LLP.
Newton
N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley
Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago.
W. James
McNerney Jr. is a member of the Commercial
Club of Chicago, and the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company.
Barbara G. Fast
was a VP at the Boeing Company, and
a VP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc.
was the Obamacare contractor that
developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare
is Barack Obama’s signature policy
initiative.
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