Press Room
Letter to the New York Times
June 4, 2008
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
To the Editor:
"The Great Immigration Panic," (editorial, June 3), aptly describes the cost of the attack on illegal immigration to our national identity. But there is another side effect that needs urgent attention: the deleterious effect of these harsh immigration procedures on legal immigration, especially on our country’s ability to attract talented and highly-skilled individuals to our institutions. Students and scholars have viewed this country as a bastion of hope and justice, but many now cringe at the prospect of facing the gauntlets set in their path. From obtaining a visa to port of entry inspections, prospective legal immigrants have too often been treated with disdain or worse. Those who would follow wonder if the prospect of humiliation at the hands of a seemingly endless bureaucracy is worth it, especially as other countries work to attract talent. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that the restrictionist war on illegal immigration will not affect our ability to attract talent needed to fuel future innovation and maintain our competitive advantage on the world stage.
Marlene M. Johnson
Executive Director and CEO
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
620 Eighth Avenue
New York, NY 10018
To the Editor:
"The Great Immigration Panic," (editorial, June 3), aptly describes the cost of the attack on illegal immigration to our national identity. But there is another side effect that needs urgent attention: the deleterious effect of these harsh immigration procedures on legal immigration, especially on our country’s ability to attract talented and highly-skilled individuals to our institutions. Students and scholars have viewed this country as a bastion of hope and justice, but many now cringe at the prospect of facing the gauntlets set in their path. From obtaining a visa to port of entry inspections, prospective legal immigrants have too often been treated with disdain or worse. Those who would follow wonder if the prospect of humiliation at the hands of a seemingly endless bureaucracy is worth it, especially as other countries work to attract talent. We cannot fool ourselves into thinking that the restrictionist war on illegal immigration will not affect our ability to attract talent needed to fuel future innovation and maintain our competitive advantage on the world stage.
Marlene M. Johnson
Executive Director and CEO
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
