Ami Bera: ‘Legal Immigration is America’s Strength, Not a Weakness’
In a wide-ranging interview, Rep. Ami Bera shares his personal immigrant story and ideas for fixing the H1B visa system.
Last week, we asked Representative Ami Bera (D-CA) our immigration questions, focusing H1B reform and President Trump’s recent Executive Orders on migrants. Bera is a member of the influential Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific. The six-term congressman is recognized for his advocacy in foreign policy, healthcare, and environmental issues. Here is the Q & A transcript, complete and unabridged —
Nico: Just to start off, what is your personal take on the H1B visa program?
Bera: I think the H1B visa program needs reform. We should want the best and brightest to want to come here, particularly folks that are getting their education here, perhaps getting their PhDs, that should be a no brainer that we should allow them to get their green cards and be able to stay and start their companies here.
You know, my parents were immigrants from India. They came over in 1958/1959 on visas and were able to get their green cards and...
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Nico: Was it on the H1B visa program?
Bera: No, they came on student visas, but then after they completed their education and graduate degrees, they were able to, at least in that time in the 1960s it was difficult, so they were lucky to get their green cards and be able to stay here.
What we've seen, over the past decades, is numerous generations of immigrants be able to come here, from all around the world, start successful companies. Some of the wealthiest software companies in the United States were started by immigrants, so I think we should fix this.
Nico: Do you agree with some of your colleagues like Pramila and Ro Khanna that the H1B visa program has been abused?
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Bera: I'm sure that you'll be able to find examples where those companies have undercut salaries of American employees that could do that job and brought in lower wage workers on H1Bs. Instead of throwing out the successful program, let's reform it. Let's try to put in some stop caps that prevent those abuses from happening.
Nico: What specific reforms would you like to see in the H1B visa program?
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