Joe Biden Wants To Allow States And Localities To Issue Immigration Visas

David Bier

Politics, Americas

An interesting idea.

Former-Vice President and presidential candidate Joe Biden—the Democrats’ frontrunner—released his immigration plans this week, and they contain some interesting surprises. In particular, Biden states that he would allow states and localities to sponsor visas for immigrants—an idea that my colleagues and I have written of for the last several years. So far, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) have introduced bills to create a state-sponsored temporary worker program.

But the idea is starting to gain some more traction among Democrats. Biden’s immigration platform states that it:

Creates a new visa category to allow cities and counties to petition for higher levels of immigrants to support their growth. The disparity in economic growth between U.S. cities, and between rural communities and urban areas, is one of the great imbalances of today’s economy. Some cities and many rural communities struggle with shrinking populations, an erosion of economic opportunity, and local businesses that face unique challenges. Others simply struggle to attract a productive workforce and innovative entrepreneurs.