Darn it, these candidates need to speak up on immigration

The U.S. cannot retain its global leadership with self- defeating immigration policies. The competition for immigrant talent is too fierce, and the consequences of losing the battle are too great. Singapore’s foreign-born population has quadrupled in the past two decades, and even nations such as Germany, with a history of restrictive immigration policies, have eased them in response to global competition.

What can we do?

For starters, we must demand that the presidential candidates and their surrogates stop using immigration as a prod to excite their respective bases and begin treating it as the serious economic issue it is. Neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney offers more than lip service about immigration’s role in the economy. That’s inexcusable.