WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration is holding to policies targeting foreign entrepreneurs and students, despite strong evidence that immigrant innovation and contributions sustain a healthier economy.
The Trump administration announced Monday that it would delay the International Entrepreneur Rule, which would have provided more opportunities for foreign entrepreneurs to start companies in the United States. The announcement elicited criticism from business and technology leaders.
The rule, announced in January, would allow these entrepreneurs the ability to come to the country temporarily to build their companies after they have obtained financial support.
Immigrants are more likely than native-born Americans to start their own businesses and create jobs in the U.S., benefiting American workers, a new piece in U.S. News & World Report highlights.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security is considering a proposal that would require foreign students to reapply each year to stay in the U.S., which could discourage such students from coming here. In 2015, foreign students’ economic contributions totaled more than $35 billion, according to the Institute of International Education.
On the whole, the visa programs under our current immigration system use quotas that do not consider modern economic trends, holding back innovation and entrepreneurship.
“The Trump administration’s approach threatens to strengthen other countries while undermining our own competitiveness,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “For a healthier economy that works for all American workers, we need to attract immigrant talent, not deter it.”