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Colbert Storms Congress, Ezra Klein and Charlie Crist on Immigration’s Economic Boost

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For your skimming pleasure, here’s your Monday Midday Immigration Fix…

  • Arguing for immigration reform, Colbert’s testimony continues to throw Congress and many members of the media for a loop (coverage by AP, CNN, NYT, The Hill, WaPo, Vivir Latino, and more). We covered the testimony here.
  • Via Huffington Post’s Amanda Terkel, Florida’s Independent Senate candidate Charlie Crist says immigration reform is key to keeping social security solvent: “Studies show that 11-14 million people are in the country as non-citizens, and if we are willing to have a thoughtful, reasonable pathway to citizenship — earning citizenship — then those 11-14 million people can become productive, participating members of the American economy, paying the payroll taxes, helping Social Security going forward, and making America stronger financially…”
  • Ezra Klein, writing for the Washington Post, reminds us that even with immigration and immigration reform’s “mega” economic benefits —  to “raise wages, lower prices, increase the nation’s stock of scientists and engineers, and maybe even create the next Google,” without costing the government a dime and actually saving us a lot of money — few politicians are willing to go there. Ezra argues that we need: “More immigration. A pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants. And a recognition that immigration policy is economic policy and needs to be thought of as such.”