Briggs V M
J Econ Issues. 1996 Jun;30(2):371-89.
The author examines some aspects of the current situation concerning immigration to the United States. He predicts that the 1990s will witness the largest flow of immigrants into the population and labor force of any decade in the country's history; furthermore, since there is no universally accepted right to immigrate, the adoption of migration policy is one area of economic policymaking that is not controlled by market forces. He also notes that while the country's need is for a highly skilled, motivated, and educated labor force, the majority of current immigrants have low skill levels and relatively little education. The need to develop and implement a migration policy that is in tune with the country's economic objectives is stressed. He concludes that "the resurrection of mass immigration from out of the nation's distant past was a political accident; its perpetuation in the 1990s is contrary to national interest. Immigration reform, therefore, needs to be [in] the forefront of the nation's economic policy agenda."
作者审视了美国当前移民形势的一些方面。他预测，20世纪90年代将见证美国历史上任何十年中流入人口和劳动力的移民数量最多；此外，由于不存在普遍接受的移民权，移民政策的制定是经济政策制定中不受市场力量控制的一个领域。他还指出，虽然美国需要的是高技能、有积极性且受过教育的劳动力，但目前大多数移民技能水平低且受教育程度相对较低。强调了制定和实施与国家经济目标相契合的移民政策的必要性。他总结道：“从美国久远的过去复苏的大规模移民是一个政治意外；在20世纪90年代使其持续下去有悖于国家利益。因此，移民改革需要处于国家经济政策议程的前沿。”
