As part of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s “Road to the White House” series, former Sen. John Edwards appeared before 200 executives Aug. 1.snip
WRIGHT: Congress and the president failed to pass any kind of immigration-reform legislation. There are still two key aspects of immigration reform that are important to California: the H-1B visa and agricultural workers. What would you do about these two specific areas? And why do you think you might be successful in getting some progress?
EDWARDS: Regarding the H-1B visa question: I think it is important for us to have available, for the work that’s being done here in this valley, plus all over the country, the talent and the mental capacity we need. So the H-1B visa program is important; it should be expanded, based on the needs that exist. Also important is that America needs to be doing a much better, more-effective job in producing, from our own young people, the talent pool that can perform these jobs, and my view is that we are not concentrating on science and math the way that we need to. We’re not concentrating on graduate education in those areas the way we need to. But immigration is a very hot topic out there in America, and a very divisive topic. You can be in front of a group of progressive Democrats, and there will be a lot of people in the room who want to know what you’re going to do about the illegal immigrants, and they’re not thinking about a path to citizenship. Secondly, I do think we should be tougher on employers who are knowingly violating the law, and in many cases, abusing workers. But the third piece, and this is the more controversial one, I do think that there should be a path to citizenship, and it needs to be a meaningful path to citizenship. I think the path that was in the bill that was last considered by the Senate was completely unrealistic. I mean most undocumented workers in America would never meet that standard, which means they would never become American citizens. And I don’t want to live in a country that’s made up of first-class citizens and second-class laborers. That’s not America.
San Jose Mercury News 9/3/07
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_6790508?nclick_check=1
