Thread by @NiskanenCenter

THREAD: Two years ago this week, @realDonaldTrump questioned why the U.S. would want to welcome people from so-called “shithole countries."

So we’re going to remind everyone what these immigrants bring to the table. 1/ nbcnews.com/politics/white…

Many frame this discussion as being all about high-skilled vs. low-skilled immigration; that's not the case. Many of the people coming from so-called “shithole countries” ARE high-skilled immigrants. See this research by @JeremyLNeufeld. 2/ niskanencenter.org/niskanen-immig…

A lot of the immigrants @realDonaldTrump disparages come to the U.S. through the diversity visa program. It’s one of the only ways that people from low-sending countries have any opportunity to immigrate to the United States. And it attracts some of the best and brightest. 3/

Diversity visa immigrants have higher levels of educational attainment and lower unemployment rates that other immigrants or other native-born Americans. 4/

Diversity visas attract high-skill workers, because the costs of getting the visa can be prohibitive to low-skilled workers. See this analysis by @J_Gelatt of @MigrationPolicy. 5/ migrationpolicy.org/news/diversity…

The diversity visa provides other benefits that would be missed by selection on the basis of skill alone. Diversity itself has positive spillover effects on economic outcomes. See this paper: nber.org/papers/w10904. 6/ #Immigration #Diversity

Writing an entire group off with no willingness to see what they bring to the table is un-American. 7/ theatlantic.com/politics/archi…

The people from “shithole countries” deserve a chance to contribute to our country. Many of them come here with a higher level of skill than many Americans. All have the potential to add to our economy and our culture. 8/

Putting “America First" requires the U.S. to enact policies that will enhance American growth and prosperity. Reform, don't abolish, the diversity visa. Check it out here. 9/9 niskanencenter.org/niskanen-immig…

As we remember the president’s #shitholecountries comment, we must affirm immigrants who come here from all areas of the world to become part of our country.

May be of interest to @TheAuthorGuy, @TomPerez, @MiaBLove, @TheRickWilson, @LarrySabato, @ThePlumLineGS, and others who have expressed concerns about the president’s comments toward immigrants.