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The U.S. government's focus on technological competition with China may lead to new rules curbing foreign tech investments.

The Biden administration is allegedly working on an executive order limiting investments in certain technologies, such as artificial intelligence, in overseas countries, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal earlier this month. Biden has yet to issue such an executive order, but his proposed FY 2024 budget released March 9 requested "discretionary and mandatory resources to out-compete China and advance American prosperity globally."

"China is the United States' only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and, increasingly, the economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to do it," according to the budget.

The Biden administration already imposed export controls in October 2022 limiting China's ability to acquire advanced computing chips and is considering further limiting exports to the country. But issuing rules on investments in the Chinese tech sector would be a "radical departure" from former U.S. industrial policy, said Chris Meserole, director of the Brookings Institution's Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative.

"In principle I'm not averse to cutting off nodes of funding from the U.S. to the Chinese tech sector," he said. "The devil will be in the details of how narrowly they are going to circumscribe different investments."

For Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, working closely with allies on export controls and tech transfer limits is "critical."

"Limiting exports of key technology to China can be an important tool to push back against unfair Chinese government technology policy," Atkinson said. "But unless our allies cooperate, we risk simply cutting off U.S. exports and ceding the marketplace to foreign firms."

Tensions between the U.S. and China have escalated as concerns about China's technological advancement are increasing fears among policymakers about how the country might use its position as a global leader in certain technologies. Meserole said that could include the country's use of AI for commercial surveillance or moving against Taiwan, a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing.

The U.S. government should've acted on the competitive threat in advanced technology development posed by China 10 years ago, but Meserole said it's not too late.

One of the Biden administration's first steps in competing with China on a technological front stemmed from legislation Congress passed last year. Before that, former U.S. president Donald Trump also took actions to counter China's growing influence.

Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 into law last year, which increased investments in domestic manufacturing of technologies like semiconductors as well as research and development into AI and quantum computing.

We created a regime that is very powerful economically. They are learning how to flex that economic might and convert it into political and strategic power. Chris MeseroleDirector, Brookings Institution's Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative

The legislation aims to stem the tide of more than 30 years of U.S. investment and interconnectedness with China, Meserole said. He described increasing U.S. efforts to compete with China as "the ocean liner that takes a while to turn around."

Meserole said U.S. investment in China over the years, particularly in the early 2000s, marked a historical moment where it seemed like investing in the country's industrial and technological development would also influence it, over time, to become more open and less authoritarian economically and politically.

At the time, U.S. leadership in advanced technology development was powerful enough that leaders didn't foresee the possibility of losing that position, he said.

However as Chinese President Xi Jinping came into power in 2013 and the country flourished economically, it didn't come with the kind of political change the U.S. anticipated, Meserole said.

"No administration prior to the Trump administration really thought there is a significant chance that China is going to get so good at this that they could surpass us in certain areas of technological development," Meserole said.

Since China has grown substantially without having liberalized, it means they're going to be a strategic competitor to the U.S., he added.

"We created a regime that is very powerful economically," he said. "They are learning how to flex that economic might and convert it into political and strategic power."

Beyond measures the U.S. has taken already, Meserole said, it's incumbent on both the U.S. and European Union to set standards for use of technology like AI to protect against its misuse by governments and corporations globally.

He said it's also crucial for the U.S. to focus on immigration reform as part of boosting its technological expertise while investments allow new semiconductor plants and other facilities to be built stateside. Immigration reform is a hot button issue that has long been a struggle for Congress to resolve.

"The only way we create a vibrant ecosystem domestically is by bringing in experts around the world to staff these facilities and then, hopefully, stay," he said. "We don't have that expertise in house right now."

Makenzie Holland is a news writer covering big tech and federal regulation. Prior to joining TechTarget, she was a general reporter for the Wilmington StarNews and a crime and education reporter at the Wabash Plain Dealer.

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Tech competition with China remains top of mind for U.S. - TechTarget

A dreamer and immigration reform advocate from West Chester will be Jill Bidens guest at the State of the Union  The Philadelphia Inquirer

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A dreamer and immigration reform advocate from West Chester will be Jill Bidens guest at the State of the Union - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Davos 2023: Immigration reform, reskilling, upskilling in green growth essential for future of work, say WEF leaders  People Matters

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Davos 2023: Immigration reform, reskilling, upskilling in green growth essential for future of work, say WEF leaders - People Matters

It is a moral failing and a national shame when a father and his baby daughter drown seeking our shores. When children are locked away in overcrowded detention centers and the government seeks to keep them there indefinitely. When our government argues in court against giving those children toothbrushes and soap. When President Trump uses family separation as a weapon against desperate mothers, fathers, and children seeking safety and a better life. When he threatens massive raids that would break up families who have been in this country for years and targets people at sensitive locations like hospitals and schools. When children die while in custody due to lack of adequate care.

Trump has waged an unrelenting assault on our values and our history as a nation of immigrants.

Its wrong, and it stops when Joe Biden is elected president.

Unless your ancestors were native to these shores, or forcibly enslaved and brought here as part of our original sin as a nation, most Americans can trace their family history back to a choicea choice to leave behind everything that was familiar in search of new opportunities and a new life. Joe Biden understands that is an irrefutable source of our strength. Generations of immigrants have come to this country with little more than the clothes on their backs, the hope in their heart, and a desire to claim their own piece of the American Dream. Its the reason we have constantly been able to renew ourselves, to grow better and stronger as a nation, and to meet new challenges. Immigration is essential to who we are as a nation, our core values, and our aspirations for our future. Under a Biden Administration, we will never turn our backs on who we are or that which makes us uniquely and proudly American. The United States deserves an immigration policy that reflects our highest values as a nation.

Today, our immigration system is under greater stress as a direct result of Trumps misguided policies, even as he has failed to invest in smarter border technology that would improve our cargo screening.

His obsession with building a wall does nothing to address security challenges while costing taxpayers billions of dollars. Most contraband comes in through our legal ports of entry. Its estimated that nearly half of the undocumented people living in the U.S. today have overstayed a visa, not crossed a border illegally. Families fleeing the violence in Central America are voluntarily presenting themselves to border patrol officials. And the real threats to our securitydrug cartels and human traffickerscan more easily evade enforcement efforts because Trump has misallocated resources into bullying legitimate asylum seekers. Trump fundamentally misunderstands how to keep America safe because he cares more about governing through fear and division than common sense solutions.

Trumps policies are also bad for our economy. For generations, immigrants have fortified our most valuable competitive advantageour spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. Research suggests that the total annual contribution of foreign-born workers is roughly $2 trillion. Key sectors of the U.S. economy, from agriculture to technology, rely on immigration. Working-age immigrants keep our economy growing, our communities thriving, and country moving forward.

The challenges we face will not be solved by a constitutionally dubious national emergency to build a wall, by separating families, or by denying asylum to people fleeing persecution and violence. Addressing the Trump-created humanitarian crisis at our border, bringing our nation together, reasserting our core values, and reforming our immigration system will require real leadership and real solutions. Biden is prepared on day one to deliver both.

As president, Biden will forcefully pursue policies that safeguard our security, provide a fair and just system that helps to grow and enhance our economy, and secure our cherished values. He will:

Joe Biden understands the pain felt by every family across the U.S. that has had a loved one removed from the country, including under the Obama-Biden Administration, and he believes we must do better to uphold our laws humanely and preserve the dignity of immigrant families, refugees, and asylum-seekers.

The Obama-Biden Administration strongly supported the bipartisan comprehensive immigration solution that passed the Senate in 2013 and which would have put our countrys immigration policies on a much stronger footing. When the Republican House refused to even bring that bill to a vote, the Administration took action to fundamentally change the course of our nations immigration policies, offering relief and stability to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who contribute to our communities every single day.

As Vice President, Biden championed the creation and expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program; the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program; the Central American Minors program, which allowed parents with legal status in the U.S. to apply to bring their children up from Central America to live with them; and the creation of a White House task force to support new Americans and help them integrate into their new homes and communities.

In a departure from their predecessors, the Obama-Biden administration took steps to prioritize enforcement resources on removing threats to national security and public safety, not families. It also issued guidance designed to end mass work-place raids and to prevent enforcement activities at sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, and places of worship.

Critically, the Obama-Biden administration recognized that irregular migration from the Northern Triangle countries of Central America cannot be effectively addressed if solutions only focus on our southern border. The better answer lies in addressing the root causes that push desperate people to flee their homes in the first place: violence and insecurity, lack of economic opportunity, and corrupt governance. As Vice President, Biden spearheaded the administrations efforts in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Hondurasbringing high-level attention to these issues and securing bipartisan support for a $750 million aid package to help the Northern Triangle countries implement critical, concrete reforms. These efforts were beginning to deliver results and reduce migration rates until Trump froze the majority of the funding, began his campaign to terrorize immigrants and assault the dignity of the Latino community, and created the current humanitarian crisis at our border with his irresponsible and inhumane policies.

As president, Biden will finish the work of building a fair and humane immigration systemrestoring the progress Trump has cruelly undone and taking it further. He will secure our border, while ensuring the dignity of migrants and upholding their legal right to seek asylum. He will enforce our laws without targeting communities, violating due process, or tearing apart families. He will ensure our values are squarely at the center of our immigration and enforcement policies.

Take Urgent Action to Undo Trumps Damage and Reclaim Americas Values

The next president will need to take urgent action to end the Trump Administrations draconian policies, grounded in fear and racism rather than fact, work to heal the wounds inflicted on immigrant communities, and restore Americas moral leadership. As president, Biden will move immediately to ensure that the U.S. meets its responsibilities as both a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.

In the first 100 days, a Biden Administration will:

Modernize Americas Immigration System

As president, Biden will commit significant political capital to finally deliver legislative immigration reform to ensure that the U.S. remains open and welcoming to people from every part of the worldand to bring hardworking people who have enriched our communities and our country, in some cases for decades, out of the shadows. This is not just of concern to Latino communities, this touches families of every heritage and background. There are approximately 1.7 million undocumented immigrants from Asia in the U.S., as well as hundreds of thousands from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean. Biden will immediately begin working with Congress to modernize our system, with a priority on keeping families together by providing a roadmap to citizenship for nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants; growing our economy and expanding economic opportunity across the country by improving and increasing opportunities for legal immigration; and preserve the longstanding directive of our immigration system to reunite families and enhance our diversity.

Immigrants are essential to the strength of our country and the U.S. economy. When immigrants choose to come to the U.S., they bring their unique traditions and contributions to the rich cultural tapestry of our country. They are also a key driver of economic growth. The Congressional Budget Office found that the 2013 comprehensive immigration package would have, over time, increased the size of the economy by more than 5 percent. Currently, we are not taking advantage of Americas ability to attract the best and brightest workers in the world. A modern immigration system must allow our economy to grow, while protecting the rights, wages, and working conditions of all workers, and holding employers accountable if they dont play by the rules. Immigrant rights and worker rights are deeply connected. We must ensure that every worker is protected, can join a union, and can exercise their labor rightsregardless of immigration statusfor the safety of all workers.

Joe Biden will work with Congress to pass legislation that:

Welcome Immigrants in our Communities

Immigrants bring tremendous economic, cultural, and social value to their new communities. Even in cities hit hard by the loss of manufacturing jobs, immigrants are a key driver of entrepreneurship and population growth.

According to a 2017 report by the New American Economy, from 2000 to 2015, immigrants accounted for 49.7% of all population growth in the Great Lakes region over 1.5 million people which helped offset the impacts of population decline in cities like Syracuse and Akron. Immigrants are bringing new life to local economiesstarting businesses, paying taxes, and spending their dollars back into their new communities. The Center for American Progress has estimated that DACA recipients will contribute about $460.3 billion to the national GDP over the next decade. The U.S. needs to retain the talents and drive of American-raised Dreamers to secure those benefits for our own economic health.

Its time for the federal government to listen and learn from local municipalities across the country that have built vibrant and inclusive communities and economies by developing concrete policy and program recommendations at the grassroots level to provide opportunities for new immigrants.

As president, Biden will:

Reassert Americas Commitment to Asylum-Seekers and Refugees

The Trump Administrations policies have created a humanitarian disaster at our border and grossly mismanaged the unprecedented resources Congress has allocated for it. Trump has diverted money to terrorize immigrant families, even as CBP facilities at the border are overwhelmed. After almost three years, this Administration still doesnt have a coherent plan for the protection and processing of children and families. CBP officers in the field, who are neither trained nor equipped for this work, are shouldering outsized responsibility for managing this crisis. And through his Migrant Protection Protocol policies, Trump has effectively closed our country to asylum seekers, forcing them instead to choose between waiting in dangerous situations, vulnerable to exploitation by cartels and other bad actors, or taking a risk to try crossing between the ports of entry. In other words, Trumps policies are actually encouraging people to cross irregularly, rather than applying in a legal, safe, and orderly manner at the ports.

As president, Biden will:

Tackle the Root Causes of Migration

The worst place to deal with irregular migration is at our own border. Rather than working in a cooperative manner with countries in the region to manage the crisis, Trumps erratic, enforcement-only approach is making things worse. The best way to solve this challenge is to address the underlying violence, instability, and lack of opportunity that is compelling people to leave their homes in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in the first place. As Vice President, Biden was the architect of a major program of U.S. assistance to advance reforms in Central America and address the key factors driving migration.

As president, Biden will pursue a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the security and prosperity of Central America in partnership with the people of the region that:

Implement Effective Border Screening

Like every nation, the U.S. has a right and a duty to secure our borders and protect our people against threats. But we know that immigrants and immigrant communities are not a threat to our security, and the government should never use xenophobia or fear tactics to scare voters for political gain. Its irresponsible and un-American. Building a wall from sea-to-shining-sea is not a serious policy solutionits a waste of money, and it diverts critical resources away from the real threats. Today, illicit drugs are most likely to be smuggled through one of the legal U.S. ports of entry. They are hidden among commercial cargo in semi-trucks or in a hidden compartment of a passenger vehicle. A wall is not a serious deterrent for sophisticated criminal organizations that employ border tunnels, semi-submersible vessels, and aerial technology to overcome physical barriers at the borderor even for individuals with a reciprocating saw. We need smart, sensible policies that will actually strengthen our ability to catch these real threats by improving screening procedures at our legal ports of entry and investing in new technology. The border between Mexico and the U.S. shouldnt be treated like a war zone; it should be a place where effective governance and cooperation between our two countries helps our communities thrive and grow togetherfacilitating commerce and connection, and fueling the exchange of cultures and ideas.

As president, Biden will:

Read Joes Plan to Build Security and Prosperity in Partnership with the People of Central America >>

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The Biden Plan for Securing Our Values as a Nation of Immigrants

PEACH BOTTOM, Pa. Thispicturesquevillage in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, is nearly 2,000milesfrom the country's southern border.

But at Graywood Farms inthe heart of Amish country, farmer and co-owner Lisa Graybeal warns of a pressing immigration issue that she and other farmers say isnot getting enough attention: They need migrant workers to keep their farms running and Americans fed.

"This is extremely urgent," Graybeal said. "Without immigrant labor, our dairy farm wouldn't be here."

She and other Pennsylvania farmers say they want Congress to stop attacking each other over immigration andpass reform that will give year-round growers and producers which describes most farms access to the H2-A farmworker program used by seasonal growers and producers. The visa program would ease theworker shortage in the agriculture industry.

A seasonal visa isn't enough at a farm like Graybeal's, where she said it takes two months just to teach someone how to properly milk cows.

"We need long-term workers here. We need workers year-round," she said, adding that a three- or five-year program would be more appropriate.

Many farm ownerswant theU.S. Senate to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act that passed the House twice, including with support from 40 Republicans. They have been working with Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and feel the window is closing to get it passed.

"Were really desperate at this point," said Bailey Thumm, federal affairs specialist at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. "This is not just about farmers and ranchers. It extends to consumers and every constituent."

Farmers are counting on a lame-duck Congress to get it done after the election and before a new Congress is sworn-in in January.

"Immigration reform is something we've been working on for decades, and lawmakers keep kicking the can down the road," Graybeal said."We're obviously not getting comprehensive reform. The system is broken. We cant get that. Can we at least get an immigration bill for the agsector so we can have food security?"

Immigration is on the ballot in Pennsylvania and the other dozen or so battleground states where control of Congress will be decided.

But its not so much about seasonalvisas or labor shortages. Mostly, its about the U.S.-Mexico border where a record number of migrant crossings this year nearly 2.4 million has only intensified the political rancor over immigration.

Its a top talking point for Republican candidates on the campaign trail, who push the potential dangers and social service costs to Americans from record border crossings and call for tougherimmigration policies.

Democrats generally take a softer approach: backinga secure border but without harsh enforcement while advocating for the protection of certain migrant groups, such as dreamers brought over illegally as children years ago.

Much of that nuance has been lost in the wash of political messaging.

Not long ago, immigration was not the polarizing issue it is today, said Doris Meissner, a former commissioner with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

A bipartisan "gang of eight" senators that included two swing state senators up for election this year Bennet of Colorado and Marco Rubio of Florida tried in 2013 to forge a compromise to buildmore fencing, hire20,000 additional patrol agents, revampthe nation's visa program to help employers, and provide a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants.

The bill was approved 68-32, a remarkably decisive outcome in a divided Senate. But it stalled in the GOP-controlled House where tea party conservatives blocked it, labeling it "amnesty."

Prospects of any compromise changed even more dramatically among Republicans in 2016 when Donald Trump ran on a pledge to build a wall on the southern border, Meissner said.

Prior to build the wall and the Trump presidency, there was for decades a consensus at the top levels broadly of both parties that immigration was a positive or was a plus for the country, she said.

The immigration debate in the midterms has been insufficient, according to farmers and other business leaders.

"One side is demagoguing on the issue, and one is in denial," said Rebecca Shi, executive director of the American Business Immigration Coalition Action. "Democrats are sticking their heads in the sand as if there's no problem, and Republicans are engaging in political theater."

Meanwhile, she said, American consumers are paying the price at the grocery store.

A workforce shortage in the farming industry has driven higher food costs, along with asupply chain weakenedby the pandemic and war in Ukraine.

Forecasts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showa food crisis could worsen in 2023 because of a lower domestic supply. Next year will be the first year in U.S. history when the country will import more food than it produces.

"That's a huge red flag when you rely on other countries for your food," Graybeal said. "That's a national security issue."

Shawn Saylor, co-owner of Hillcrest Saylor Dairy Farm in Somerset County in Pennsylvania, said supply will dry up if there aren't enough workers to produce the product.

"Its been really bad," he said. "This spring we had no help at all."

The country needs an immigration program that provides a stable workforce year-round, Saylor said.

He and Graybeal have both listed farm jobs to try and attract domestic workers. Graybeal said she received zero inquiries. Saylor said local help did not show up for work.

"The migrant workforce is our workforce," he said.

Rubio, Demings spar in Florida Senate debate over topics of inflation, immigration

Republican Senator Marco Rubio and Democrat Congresswoman Val Demings exchanged jabs during the Florida Senate debate as election day gets closer.

Claire Hardwick, USA TODAY

Though farmers in Pennsylvania said they weren't backing a particular candidate because of immigration, the issue could weigh heavily in Nevada, a state that relies on immigrant labor and where incumbentSen. Catherine Cortez Masto is trying to hold on to her seat in a race that could determine control of the chamber.

Immigrants make up 19% of Nevadas population and 25% of its labor force, according to a December report from the advocacy group National Immigration Forum. As for the hospitality industry, the backbone of Southern Nevadas economy, nearly one-third of employees are immigrants.

Las Vegas, as we know it, doesnt work without immigrants, said Michael Kagan, a law professor at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada with expertise in immigration law. When tourists come to Vegas, they often forget that it takes more than 2 million people to make this place work.

But immigration falls far below other pressing issues like the economy.

With inflation rates still high and concerns over a recession increasing, Nevadas Senate race is shaping up to be one of the tightest in the country, with Cortez Masto toe-to-toe in the polls with Republican Adam Laxalt.

The candidates differ on many issues, including immigration. Laxalt saidcurbing illegal immigration is a top priority and promises to work at finishing the wall if elected. He has also spent thousands on ads on his opposition toprotections for dreamers, or undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children, per Axios.

Meanwhile, Cortez Masto is a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act a proposal to provide a pathway to citizenship for dreamers and said she is a fervent supporter of comprehensive immigration reform.

But even as the nation's first Latina senator (her fathers parents were Mexican immigrants), experts say Cortez Masto cant rely on the immigrant and Latinovote in the midterms. Laxalts team has ramped up Spanish language attack ads and launched a Latinos for Laxalt coalition.

Demographics is not destiny, said Andrew Lim, director of research for the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit that advocates for immigrants. Just because someone is Hispanic or Asian, (doesnt mean) theyre going to vote a certain way.

Elizabeth De La Cruz, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas, student, said she wasstill deciding between Cortez Masto and Laxalt.

The daughter of two immigrants from Mexico who were undocumented most of her life, De La Cruz said shes shopping around for candidates and plans to vote for a mix of Democrats and Republicans in the midterms.

As for the Senate race, the 23-year-old said shes trying to figure out whichcandidate is the lesser of two evils.

She strongly disagrees with Laxalts stance on abortion. But she also wishes Cortez Masto was more focused on improving education and mental health resources in Nevada.

For De La Cruz and many other voters in Nevada, immigration falls below other priorities like the economy and inflation.

Anthony Diaz, a Hispanic sales manager at a high-end store on the Las Vegas Strip, said he sides with Democrats on immigration but sees really great ideas on both sides.

His parents immigrated from Mexico to the U.S. when they were teenagers and didnt become citizens until their twenties. His familys struggles with the immigration system have influenced his ballot decisions, but the economy reigns as the No. 1 issue this year.

Here in Vegas, our economy is slowly starting to pick back up, which is awesome, he said. But all the talk around a recession is a little frightening.

Laxalts focus on border security appeals to voters like Edward Ely III, a 41-year-old freelance paralegal in Las Vegas who describes himself as a conservative who has issues with both parties.

Ely also said hes voting for the lesser of two evils. For him, thats Laxalt, even though he disagrees with Laxalts hardline stance against dreamers.

It's not because of (Laxalts) immigration policy. Its for a host of things because, again, immigration is not my No. 1issue right now, Ely said, adding that his focus this election is more on the economy, health care, education and keeping taxes low.

A recent poll from USA TODAY and Suffolk University found Cortez Masto is in a statistical tie withLaxalt: 46%-44%, with nearly half of Hispanics polled naming the economy and inflation as their top priority.

Donnie Oldham,president of Sanford Contractors, a construction company based in North Carolina another swing state with a key Senate election is doing something most executives try to avoid turning down money.

His company, which does site development and helps build bridges and buildings, has about 45 open positions, mainlyforemen, pipe layers, equipment operators and truck drivers.

Too many people have left the workforce. It started during COVID and it has continued, Oldham, 67, told USA TODAY. Fortunately, we're in an area where theres a lot of work to be done and we have to turn work down.

Asked if immigration could be a possible answer to the worker shortage, Oldham said he was all for legal immigration.

I am 100% opposed to illegal immigration. Our immigration system is ridiculous. Instead of a system that's based on family, we should have an immigration system based on the needs of the country, he said.For more employees, we should look at legal immigration and it just seems to make sense. But I'm just a common sense contractor.

Oldham said one of his workers, who was in the country legally, had to stop working while thepaperwork to renew his visa gets processed. That process has taken 16 months already with no end in sight.

We should focus on the people that are here legally and get them where they can work instead of spending our time and effort looking after illegals, he said.

Oldham, a right-leaning independent, said the Biden administrations policies on immigration dont make sense.

"Theyre not trying to stop illegal immigration, but it's against the law to hire illegal workers," he said.

Meissner, theformer INS commissioner, said the business-employer wing of the GOP, which wanted ready access to workers including foreign-born ones, has been drowned out of Republican politics.

Now a senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, a liberal-leaning think tank on immigration policy, she said Republican candidates rarely tell voters how they support legal immigration in their ads or during debates.

They lump it all together and certainly the impression that they leave is that all of immigration is illegal and is a threat to the country, she said. Thats a fundamental, dramatic shift and it has really pushed the business wing and business voice out."

The U.S. construction industry needs to attract nearly 650,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2022 to meet the demand for labor, according to a report fromtheAssociated Builders and Contractors.

The workforce shortage is the most acute challenge facing the construction industry despite sluggish spending growth, said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. After accounting for inflation, construction spending has likely fallen over the past 12 months. As outlays from the infrastructure bill increase, construction spending will expand, exacerbating the chasm between supply and demand for labor.

Michael Bellaman, ABC president and CEO, echoed Oldhams sentiment.

While the need to reform our nations immigration system persists, the Biden administrations failure to address the record-breaking influx of illegal border crossings into the United States threatens the ability to enact common-sense laws that can support legal immigration into the country, Bellaman told USA TODAY. It shows a lack of urgency and seriousness from the president and his administration and makes a bipartisan deal on this issue largely unattainable.

Mark Stevens, 51, a computer technician from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and an independent, said he's leaning more toward Republican candidates.

Republicans have a more practical view towards immigration, whereas Democratic candidates seem to be more, Let's let everybody in. Let's give everybody a path to citizenship.' The Republican candidates seem to be more, We want the people who are willing to work and who are willing to produce and improve our society to be here.

But George Papas, an immigration attorney in Hendersonville,North Carolina, said Republicans have turned thediscourse on immigration into an "if they win, we losezero sumgame."

"The hostility is reflected in the immigration courts in Atlanta and in Charlotte, where the highest denial rates for asylum prevail, he told USA TODAY. They will not be talking about outsourcing workers or about education. The right-wing base of the Republican party has used immigration as a political wedge issue to deflect attention and to deflect media, airwaves, and media space from real issues.

The restrictive legal immigration policies of the Trump eraare coming home to roost, he said.

Increasing visa caps would help the situation by addressing worker shortages and easing pressure on the southern border, Pappas said.

They cannot find farmworkers. They cannot find workers for restaurants; they cannot find them for gas stations. The construction industry doesnot have enough laborers. So here we have a labor crunch, not only in North Carolina, but throughout the country, he said. And what happens if you can't find workers? Companies will go out of business.

Asked to assess the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border during an October debate, North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Cheri Beasley didn't spare her own party.

You know, Washington has dropped the ball on immigration, she said.

The 56-year-old former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, who is running against GOP Rep. Ted Budd, said Congress should pass policies welcomingnewcomers and keeping communities safe. But she said reforming the immigration system cannot happen until the border is secured.

But lets be clear, there are some folks who should not be in this country, Beasley, looking into the camera, told Tar Heel voters.

Beasley's opponent, like many GOP candidates this cycle, has leaned almostexclusively into pushing for atougher policy approach in terms of immigration.

"Border Security is one of the top issues voters bring up on the campaign trail behind skyrocketing inflation," Budd said at an Oct. 19campaign event.

The Budd campaign's website sayshe wants more funding for Border Patrol agents, increased criminal penalties for those who reenter the U.S.illegallyand completion of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Over the summer and thisfall, hes run multiple ads that mention immigration and criticize the Biden administration for the wide open border.

Polling shows immigration is ahot-button topic more for conservative-leaning voters, who argue a porous border is a national security threat and that undocumented immigrants represent a drain on social services.

If you don't have a border, I don't believe that you have a country, Republican Chris Kuppler, who lives in Charlotte, told USA TODAY.

The 38-year-old surgeon said the farming and agriculture are backbones of North Carolinas economy, and it makes sense to allow temporary visas for migrant workers who flock to the state for that type of labor.

However, he said any process that allows immigrants into the U.S. should follow strict rules.

I am more than more than happy for them to come in and apply for citizenship like everyone else, but not happy to just give a free pass to come in for that, Kuppler said.

But Democrat James Caballero, a 56-year-old information technology specialist who lives in Sanford, saidit's hypocritical for people to be stringently anti-immigration while benefiting from migrant labor.

"They don't want the immigrants in but they sure do want them to go out in their fields and pick the crops or go into the kitchens and wash the dishes or whatever that the average American Joe does not want to do," he said.

Caballero, whose mother immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, saidhe's planning to vote this fall, but whats happening at the southern borderisnt a "motivating factor" for him.

Other voters, such as independent Geraldine Price, a 60-year-old retired postal worker who lives in Rocky Mount, North Carosaid immigration is "near the bottom" of her concerns.

Price said protecting abortion rights is something she's more concerned about, but added that TV ads calling for stricter immigration rules seemed to be aboutstoking racial prejudice.

"The average American wants that border straightened out," she said. "They're tearing up families. Justgive them a chance. They're not coming here to overthrow the government like our former president."

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Midterms: Lack of immigration reform hurts business, farms, food chain