As a grandson of Portuguese and French-Canadian immigrants, I don’t have to be convinced of the value of immigration, but a recent letter writer has taken a rather torturous path in an attempt to justify the influx of asylee (applicants) into the state (“Immigrants will grow Maine’s economy,” May 17).
It is an interesting attempt to link economic growth to a need for population growth that can come only from “attracting immigrants.”
We might agree that “we cannot grow our population without attracting immigrants.” Maine has always been a slow-population growth state; our population has only increased 90 percent since I was a sophomore at Brunswick High School, while the population of the country has doubled, from 160 million to the current 320 million, which in itself is a cause for concern.
What “grows” the economy are capital formation, business expansion and the creation of new businesses.
If we are to grow through immigration, though, we might start by expediting some of the 4.4 million-plus applicants waiting patiently overseas to get their green cards (“Waiting List for Legal Immigrant Visas Keeps Growing,” Center for Immigration Studies, April 16).
They have paid their fees, have had background checks and also know that they will not be eligible for welfare benefits for five years, which, as we all know by now, is a contentious issue as Gov. LePage attempts to apply that standard to asylee applicants.
If we want immigrant-fueled economic growth, the best solution is to attract EB-5 Immigrant Investors, who receive their visas with a commitment to invest at least $500,000 locally and hire 10 workers. That’s the solution I like.
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