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Jan 14, 2020 11 tweets 6 min read Read on X
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/ Image
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.

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More from @NiskanenCenter

May 9
New apartment buildings in U.S. all look really similar to each other.

One reason: U.S. regulations dictate an oddly-specific layout that's hostile to families and limits light/ventilation.

THREAD:
Image
Image
In most U.S. cities, building code requires multiple exit stairways accessible from each apartment for buildings over 3 stories tall.

It's all done in the name of fire safety. But the restrictions don't really advance fire safety.
Enter the double-loaded corridor layout.

Long, windowless corridors slice through the middle of deep floor plates.

Non-corner units only have windows on one side, opposite the entry door—favoring studios and one-bedroom layouts. Image
Read 8 tweets
Feb 20
.@heritage publishes regular iterations of its “Mandate for Leadership” with an agenda for the next Republican administration. The prior Trump admin implemented nearly 64% of its recommendations in its 1st year.

Here’s what’s in the 2025 edition: niskanencenter.org/project-2025-u…
First, the Mandate would effectively close many avenues of legal immigration by:
❌Halting H2 visa programs
❌Closing the H-1B visa program to most recent grads
❌Leveraging entire visa categories as collateral in foreign policy negotiations
It would sabotage U.S. humanitarian relief by:
❌Repealing all TPS designations, stripping almost 700,000 of legal protection + work authorization.
❌Forbidding use of DHS staff time on DACA, Uniting for Ukraine, etc.
❌Prohibiting refugee vetting, ending refugee resettlement.
Read 14 tweets
Apr 6, 2023
NEW PAPER: Manufactured housing is an affordable option in rural areas where land prices are low. They even promise to ease the housing crunch in coastal cities where land prices are high!

But, as always, housing discrimination is getting in the way. niskanencenter.org/manufactured-h…
To clarify, we’re not talking about vacation trailers, or 1970’s-era mobile homes. Modern manufactured homes have strict standards for structural integrity and safety. They often look like homes built on-site, but they were assembled in a factory, like a car or an airplane.
Benefits of manufactured homes include: (1) They’re safer and more efficient to make, their materials don’t have to be exposed to the elements until the house is fully assembled, and (3) they can help improve quality of housing while driving costs down.
Read 12 tweets
Apr 4, 2023
Critics of Welcome Corps (the new U.S. private refugee sponsorship program) have been complaining loudly that it's vulnerable to fraud.

We’ve looked into 3 of the main concerns and have found that all but one are completely unsubstantiated. 1/ niskanencenter.org/is-there-any-t…
CONCERN 1: “The vetting process for refugees is being expedited and is therefore less thorough.”

FACT: Privately sponsored applicants must still go through the same USRAP pipeline as everyone else and have often been waiting years to travel. 2/
CONCERN 2: “The quality of protections meant to ensure sponsors are well-vetted aren’t good enough.”

FACT: Extensive safeguards have been built into the private sponsor group application process to screen for potential bad actors. 3/ Image
Read 6 tweets
Feb 28, 2023
THREAD: Why do housing supply restrictions persist? Conventional wisdom says it's because incumbents are defending their property values.

The reality is way more complicated. That's an opportunity for YIMBYs.

Introducing our agenda for abundant housing: niskanencenter.org/an-agenda-for-… Image
Before we enact any reform, we have to understand the political economy of our system: whom it empowers, whom it enriches, etc.

Answering these questions will rally opinion shapers around reform, protect reforms against backlash, and help avoid unintended consequences.
Here's how the conventional wisdom explains the political economy of housing: single-family homes and large lot sizes restrict the availability of housing to buyers who will pay at least as much in local taxes as they consume in public services, such as schools.
Read 13 tweets
Feb 24, 2023
THREAD: The cost of building public transit is out of control. We can do something about that:

Stop relying on outside consultants to do the work of government agencies. slate.com/business/2023/…
In the name of cutting costs, we’ve hollowed out government agencies, asking full-time employees to handle impossible tasks.

The result? Chaos. And lots of wasted taxpayer dollars. (After all, government contractors arguably cost even more money).
.@alon_levy produced a report for us outlining some solutions:

(1) The federal government should require that state/local transportation agencies demonstrate they already have the capacity to oversee big infrastructure projects before releasing funds. niskanencenter.org/report-so-you-…
Read 9 tweets

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