[autarch]

This seems like a good example of how screwed up immigration policies are in this country.

We should be running out to other countries and actively recruiting people like her to immigrate here. She's smart, she's hard-working, and she's obviously incredibly motivated. But despite all this, the process of even getting a green card took a ridiculously long time.

I really don't understand people knee jerk stance against immigration (well, I do understand it, it's largely racism).

[miked]

>> I really don't understand people knee jerk stance against immigration (well, I do understand it, it's largely racism).

I don't know any Americans who are opposed to immigration. I know lots of them who are opposed to illegal immigration. Interestingly, the people I know most ferociously opposed to the illegals are themselves immigrants, three from China, one from India, and one from France.

And racism has nothing to do with it. They just hate the fact that they came here legally, went thru a lot of trouble to do so, add a lot of value to this country, and then see others who drain the welfare system, etc., get a free pass because they can be expected to vote the "correct" way when they become citizens.

My wife is from China and there's never a week that goes by that she doesn't tell me how wonderful America is. I've lived overseas enough to get a sense of why she says that, but it's still interesting to see the U.S. through her eyes at times.

[lotharbot]

Many of those most strongly opposed to illegal immigration also strongly favor a streamlined legal process, for many of the reasons you allude to. This country benefits greatly from immigrants who come to add value (including many illegals). We need a policy that makes it straightforward for immigrants who are doing positive things to get into the system.

[ajays]

My opposition to illegal immigration boils down to these points:

1. Many illegals die each year making the journey, and many more are brutalized on the way to the border. They have to deal with coyotes, drug gangs, etc. The current situation is untenable.

2. Once they're here, the illegals are cut-off from their families; they can't visit home and miss out on their children growing up, leading to further problems.

3. Just legalizing them doesn't solve the problem; just more people from south of the border keep trying to get in.

The solution, IMHO, is an "unskilled worker visa" available to residents of Mexico and Central American countries. Give preference to those with roots in their communities and a clean record. It would let them come to the US for manual work like picking crops, construction, etc. and go back (and forth) whenever they want. Many other countries (especially the Middle-Eastern ones) have such visas.

[Anechoic]

> I don't know any Americans who are opposed to immigration.

I live in a northeastern city with a significant Puerto Rican (as in people who moved here from PR) population, and there are lots of folks who are vocally calling for changes in immigration rules (yeah, yeah, I know) so prevent Puerto Rican's from "immigrating" here.

I suppose it really matters where you're from (among other factors).

[philwelch]

If you're opposed to illegal immigration, and you're also opposed to changing the immigration laws so it's easier to immigrate legally, you're opposed to immigration. Let's just be honest about this.

[geebee]

I completely disagree. I think it means they're opposed to unlimited immigration.

The US currently takes in well over a million immigrants legally into the country every year. Are you "opposed" to immigration generally if you don't think it should be two million a year? If you think it should be two million a year, does that mean someone who thinks it should be four million can say you're opposed to immigration?

I'm in favor of a fairly high level of immigration, though I think our current system is completely broken (and seems to make it hard for the people we'd most want here to stay). But I absolutely support some controls on the sheer number and rate of entry, and I really don't agree that this makes me opposed to immigration in the general sense.

[gaius]

It depends what you mean by "easier". The ideal scenario would be a fast process that filters for the highly skilled/in-demand.

[J3L2404]

Illegal immigration is popular among confused lefties and businesses who want to hire people with no rights.

[scott_w]

Speaking from the UK perspective, the argument is very much about "stopping fucking foreigners in to take all our jobs".

To this end, the popular opinion is in favour of making legal immigration harder, and kicking out all the illegal immigrants.

One of the more amusing headlines I've seen involved an Indian immigrant joining the British Nationalist Party, as he supported their policy of "Britain is full, stop immigration".

[bmelton]

"She's obviously incredibly motivated."

I first met Yasmine at StartupWeekend Baltimore. She'd come down from Philly to try and recruit help for her project. She'd been working on an existing startup already, and her idea was an extension of that (but new, so as to fit within the constraints of SW).

Not finding a lot of help, she sat in a corner, by herself, for what appeared to be the entire weekend, plugging away. She would occasionally ask some of us how to get something done in Python or whatever, but single-handedly turned her project into something that was later acquired.

In short, for all the talk about 'not enough women in tech', all I can say is that they're out there, and they're awesome. Hell, half the men I know in tech can't get as much as she does.

[adgar]

> In short, for all the talk about 'not enough women in tech', all I can say is that they're out there, and they're awesome. Hell, half the men I know in tech can't get as much as she does.

Your comment was excellent until you took the "My anecdote refutes data!" route.

[bmelton]

Perhaps you took it wrong, or perhaps I said it wrong.

Better stated: "Maybe there aren't enough women in tech, but they are out there, and they're awesome."

I didn't mean to bely the refute the numbers, but to posit that in spite of the numbers, women are in tech, and they're doing amazing things.

Though, since you brought it up, I'm starting to wonder if it's not a West Coast thing -- there are quite a few women in tech on my side of the continent. I honestly don't know the numbers, but the StartupWeeked I referred to before had about a third of the teams end up led by women.

[joe_the_user]

Maybe...

But given that she was really motivated to master a challenge that was really hard, perhaps, just perhaps she justified her efforts by convincing herself that the results were really worthwhile.

So perhaps the policy is just, exactly right. After all, you don't see a lot of fat happy native born talking about living the American Dream (I hear them saying "you have to asleep to believe it" but as we see, there are other alternatives)

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini#Influence

[noonespecial]

That's a fascinating idea I've been kicking around for a while now. What if a country recruited citizens?

The US almost did in a way at the end of WW2 and we more or less got a space program out of it.

[micahgoulart]

Canada does that. They actively seek out highly skilled foreigners and offer them opportunity to immigrate to Canada. It's out of necessity since there is a shortage of highly skilled professionals in Canada.

Here's a recent article about new initiatives the Canadian government is taking: http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Feds+plan+hand+pick+ski...

[trustfundbaby]

They've scaled back the Federal program drastically, there are only very few skills which are eligible for immigration and IT/software dev is not one of them

[pyre]

Doesn't it qualify under NAFTA at least (granted this only applies to US/Mexico)?

[jacques_chester]

Immigration to Australia is based on a points system. Your chances are substantially improved if you have certain qualifications or experience.

[Volpe]

One type of immigration (aka Student/Skilled migration) is based on points.

The rest are a mixture of bribery, and racism. (See parent-contributory, english requirements, etc).

All of the above only get you Permanent residency (You can't vote, or receive non-health related welfare).

Once you can speak and read english fluently you can apply for citizenship.

Hardly a 'points based system'.

[jacques_chester]

Granted; but skilled migration is still an excellent pathway to Australian citizenship via permanent residency if you've got desirable skills.

That said, Australians in turn have access to the E-3 visa in the USA, which is a pretty sweet ticket.

[Volpe]

> skilled migration is still an excellent pathway to Australian citizenship via permanent residency if you've got desirable skills.

and fluency in English.

[demallien]

Of course. Do you really think that it is unreasonable to expect citizens of a democracy to be able to speak the language fluently? I'm an Australian living in France, and I have to demonstrate fluency in French, and I don't see this as unreasonable. If you have been living in a country long enough to be applying for citizenship, you damn well ought to be able to speak the language - if you can't it is because you have made no attempt to integrate into your host community, and I fully get a country not wanting to embrace you in that case.

[wassem]

I am Engineer Arch.

[gaius]

Consider the case that rich country A recruits all the, say, nurses from poor country B. Or any other skill that B is short of itself.

[eli_gottlieb]

I don't oppose immigration as such. I oppose labor arbitrage, which is one of the chief uses of immigration.

[chives]

Serious question: is there a single system in the country at any level of government that works as it is intended? Can someone name a single one?

My mother recently "enlightened" me as to how backwards medication pricing is and how its shouldn't be legal what medical companies are doing (its a long, unethical, story). I retorted with: We have people who don't even know how the internet works deciding how to regulate it, and yet we have these very same people regulating countless number of other industries that they don't understand. A great many senators and congressmen don't even read what they vote on, never mind understand what they vote on (ndaa anyone?).

So getting back to the topic at hand. How is it that "we" can read this story and be disgusted. The men in power in our country have spent the last few decades (imo, perhaps longer) making our country worse and have deluded themselves in to thinking they have made it better. I am annoyed with them, but I am really annoyed with the people who know what is broken and instead of taking the initiative, sit back and talk about it. They sit back and they talk up a storm about how crooked companies are and this that and the other thing. And oh yeah, its racism , or its this or that.

And you know what? Its not even worth it to point any of this out. In the off chance you actually agree with anything I have said, your an American, a docile consumer. You will go find some company, some NPO and throw money at it. Problem solved, case closed, you accomplished your civic duty for the day. Maybe you will go the extra mile and share with your facebook friends some pointless meme that suggests they share with their friends. What a joke. If our country's forefathers saw what has become of their great nation, they would writhe in their graves. In all likelihood, you don't agree with anything I have said, you are content with people telling you what to think and what to buy. You believe this country is great and are content letting the "little" imperfections of our government programs go ignored or worse, broken further.

But yeah, totally agree. Let me know when you share a "lets fix immigration" meme on facebook so I can share it with my friends and we can fix kono 2012, -I mean whatever really important thing we were talking about. Hey, did you see my new car. I know, its banging right.

[mquander]

This is the flamebaitiest flamebait I have ever seen, even accounting for the topic. It is insanely rude and unproductive. I hope it gets flagged into oblivion.

To the author: Respect your fucking readers or don't click "post." Your mother said health care pricing is screwed? Explain and teach me something or don't throw it out there. You have some godawful stereotype of people who complain about the government? Back it up with facts or get the fuck out. Don't feed me some "you are" and "you will" morality play when you invented your hypothetical audience out of thin air. Don't write three paragraphs about your straw man moron without an iota of any actual information besides rambling. Give me a break.