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The economic benefits of immigration

Wednesday, December 07, 2022, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Worker holding an American flag - Economic benefits of immigration

Increasing immigration to the United States is worthwhile: immigrants boost economic activity, promote innovation, and improve the productivity of American workers. But the system is broken and the immediate costs to welcoming immigrants are not evenly shared. Given these factors, the United States must examine ambitious ideas to reform its immigration system.

On December 7, The Hamilton Project addressed reforms to the immigration system that would make it more equitable and increase economic growth. The event will feature introductory remarks by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin and a fireside chat between U.S. Senator Joe Manchin and Glenn Hutchins, co-chair of the Brookings Board of Trustees.

The forum also included two panel discussions featuring Ted Gayer (Niskanen Center), Jennifer Hunt (Rutgers University), Dane Linn (Business Roundtable), Anna Maria Mayda (Georgetown University), Eduardo Porter (Bloomberg Opinion), Kim Rueben (Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center), Tara Watson (The Brookings Institution), and John C. Yang (Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC).

The event coincided with the release of an interactive and two new Hamilton Project proposals that outline reforms to the green card system, visa system, and employment-based immigration as well as offer evidence in support of federal transfers to state and local governments to compensate for the near-term fiscal costs of immigration.

For updates on the event, viewers followed @HamiltonProj on Twitter and joined the conversation using #ImmigrationEconomics to ask questions or emailed [email protected].

1:00 p.m. | Welcome

Robert E. Rubin
Former U.S. Treasury Secretary; Co-Chair Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations

1:05 p.m. | Fireside chat

The Honorable Joe Manchin
U.S. Senator, State of West Virginia

Glenn H. Hutchins
Co-Chair, Board of Trustees, Brookings Institution; Chairman, North Island and North Island Ventures

1:45 p.m. | Roundtable discussion: How to make the immigration system more equitable

Carlos A. Guevara
Director, Immigration Policy Project, UnidosUS

Jennifer Hunt
Professor of Economics, Rutgers University

Dane Linn
Senior Vice President of Corporate Initiatives, Business Roundtable

John C. Yang
President, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC

Moderator: Ted Gayer
President, Niskanen Center

2:25 p.m. | Roundtable discussion: How to improve immigration’s fiscal benefits

Anna Maria Mayda
Professor of Economics, School of Foreign Service and Department of Economics, Georgetown University

Kim Rueben
Sol Price Fellow, Director, State and Local Finance Initiative, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center

Tara Watson
David M. Rubenstein Fellow, Economic Studies, The Brookings Institution

Moderator: Eduardo Porter
Columnist, Bloomberg Opinion

3:00 p.m. | Webcast adjourns