| I'm sorry for the hassle you've had to face in pursuit of a better life (assuming that's why you're on a visa here). Unfortunately, immigration reform in the eyes of the ruling class isn't how the issue is presented in the press (shocker I know). One must question why an issue that seemingly has both party establishments blessing doesn't make it through congress and to the President's desk? The answer is the fringe of both parties thwart reform. Given they are a minority in the system, the only way they manage to keep the never-ending status-quo is due to the fact both establishments insist on passing all of these items on their laundry list at the same time. The conservative establishment wants cheap labor (increased visa cap w/restrictive rules) and the liberal establishment wants votes via a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, w/the belief these voters will break overwhelmingly for democratic candidate if they were to participate in the political process. The downward pressure on the wages of U.S. citizens which the increased visas (w/restrictions) would cause is antithetical to a liberal populist. A visa w/o restrictions would mostly remedy this grievance (with an appropriate cap), but you have a better chance of seeing a human land on Pluto in this century than that passing Congress. On the other side, republicans who identify with the tea party or freedom caucus (or both) care more about their ideology than corporate profits, and their entrenchment in the political system would be threatened if a sudden influx of undocumented immigrants began participating in the U.S. elections. It's also worth pointing out that some of the backlash towards a pathway to citizenship stems from raw xenophobia; but I'd argue the former reason as the "primary" one. The upper echelons of SV are no different than any other American industry, being that they will be apolitical with the contributions, and have press releases/tweets which they think will get the most positive receptions, which may or may not be congruent with the aforementioned lobbying. The giant tech cos would love for it to be easy for you to come work for them, on the condition they can pay you below market or at market rates (which they've manipulated substantially) w/limited or no mobility between employers. |