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Today, tech week begins at the White House. The five-day confab will reportedly see the likes of technology experts and big-name CEOs like Microsofts Satya Nadella, Oracles Safra Catz, and Apples Tim Cook.

They plan on covering a host of topics, including the elephant in the room: our fundamentally flawed immigration system. Left unaddressed, the issue poses a growing threat to several sectors including tech. For a course correction, it would behoove summit participants to consider a policy blueprint just put forth by the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Board.

Here in the United States, family reunification leads the way when it comes to criteria for admittance. It accounts for 65 percent of those admitted. And because the system puts too little of a premium on actual labor force needs, it should come as no surprise that many immigrant workers are underemployed. Combined, growing global competition and seismic U.S. demographic shifts underscore the need for top-tier foreign talent.

Between 2015 and 2030, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that the number of native-born workers who will enter the labor force will barely exceed those who will retire. With net migration expected to account for almost all growth in the U.S. labor force, those immigrants must be carefully chosen to ensure that they will help employers fill key areas of need. And there will be great need, including in the technology industry.

A 2016 Conference Board analysis points to the STEM occupations as one of three fields that look certain to experience acute labor shortages over the next decade. Positions in short supply but in great demand include information security analysts and data scientists.

But despite the looming STEM shortages, our temporary employment-based admissions process under the H-1B visa category shows no signs of receiving a needed overhaul. The tech titans who plan on meeting with the administration should highlight that current policy dictates that all qualified applicants go into a lottery. That is regardless of whether they are trained in a high labor shortage risk occupation like data science, or one with lower future shortage risks.

Moreover, country caps limit permanent employment-based admissions to 50,000 per year per country, regardless of the available pool of highly qualified workers from any given country. That unnecessarily constrains the ability of firms to seek out the best and the brightest from China and India, since they routinely surpass these limits despite having a robust pool of tech talent.

Some other countries have jumped ahead of the U.S. in figuring out how to make their immigration policies best serve their economic needs. In Canada, more than half of their new immigrants between 2009 and 2013 were admitted as part of employment or economic-based programs. Another benefit, the country grants immigrants admission based on their own merits and skills even prior to having a job offer in hand.

This expands options for both employee and employer, which leads to better matching and better economic outcomes. Canada also hands some control over immigration policy to lower-level jurisdictions to better steer immigrants to the provinces and territories, where their skills and work experience are in greatest demand.

The United States has moved at a snails pace when it comes to following similar directions with immigration policy. As other countries adopt strategies superior to ours in attracting high-skilled foreign individuals to live and work in their countries, the U.S. risks losing its position of prominence at the top of the global economy.

Immigration reform has vexed Washington for three decades, and we recognize that fundamental reforms on the scale we envision wont come overnight. Still, with today marking the start of tech week and some keystone industry figures at the table, we feel the time is ripe to change the discussion around immigration.

If they lend their expertise and leverage their bully pulpits, getting just a few reforms over the goal line will go a long way toward creating a more inclusive and dynamic economy. One that will benefit both native-born and foreign-born workers.

Diane Lim is principal economist at The Conference Board, a global business membership and research association working in the public interest.

Brian Schaitkin is senior economist at The Conference Board. Read the Committee for Economic Development of The Conference Boards new immigration report here.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.

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We can turbocharge our technology industry with immigration reform ... - The Hill (blog)

Cmon, nobody believes this. Next theyll be telling us Trump wants to preserve Obamas executive amnesty for DREAMers.

Maybe he meant to say no way to comprehensive immigration reform but was discombobulated because, for once, he wasnt even close to being the richest guy in the room.

Habermans right that this isnt the first time Trumps been accused of talking up comprehensive reform. In early February, just a few weeks after taking office, he met with a bipartisan group of senators. Joe Manchin reportedly asked him if hed consider a Gang-of-Eight style comprehensive bill that would trade security improvements for legalization. Sure, Ill take a look at it, Trump is said to have replied, which is no big deal. What was a big deal, sort of, was what he allegedly said when Manchin explained to him the sort of long-term path to citizenship (say, 10-13 years) that he had in mind: That doesnt sound like amnesty to me. Hmmmm.

Theres another private meeting which Habermans forgetting at which Trump supposedly suggested he was open to an immigration deal. That one came at the very end of February, when he sat down for lunch with news anchors on the day of his address to a joint session of Congress.

Trump didnt end up mentioning comprehensive reform in his speech. The White House tried to clean up what hed said to the anchors the next day by claiming that it was some sort of grand psych-out of the fake news media, but that never made sense. Assuming Haberman, whos famously well-sourced, is correct that he mentioned comprehensive reform to Cook, that makes three separate occasions on which hes discussed it. Is the White House actually considering this?

The likeliest explanation that Trump was pandering to a private audience, telling them what he thought they wanted to hear, while possibly not fully understanding exactly what comprehensive reform means. All three meetings I just described involved Democrats or presumptive Democrats, whom Trump would naturally assume to be pro-amnesty. None of the meetings was recorded, giving him plausible deniability about what was said. As such, his instinct may have been to ingratiate himself to the people around him by blowing smoke about a big amnesty deal knowing thered be no way to hold him accountable for what he said afterward. After all, whose word is a Trump fan going to trust, Trumps or Jake Tappers? It may also be that Trump likes the concept of a comprehensive deal itll be big, yuge, the comprehensivest! without grasping exactly what that means in an immigration context beyond a vague idea of compromise despite Manchins attempt to explain it. I sure hope he hasnt been suckered into believing that if the deal only legalizes illegals without granting them citizenship that thats somehow a win for border hawks. Citizenship for newly legalized residents is a fait accompli in time. Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller presumably know that even if Trump doesnt.

But hey, maybe he knows full well what hes saying and really is considering a grand bargain with Democrats on immigration. A path to citizenship for DREAMers in exchange for beefy internal enforcement mechanisms might be a deal worth doing. I doubt Schumer would do it as hed insist on a much broader amnesty, but theres no harm dangling the possibility through private remarks. Just explain to me how it fits with the White Houses dont piss off the base! strategy and its full speed ahead.

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Report: Trump tells tech titans he favors comprehensive immigration reform - Hot Air

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez addresses about 4,000 attendees to a special mass for immigration reform at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Sunday. About 400 Orange County residents drove or rode buses to the mass. ///ADDITIONAL INFO : immig.catholics.0722 Shot Date 072113 PHOTO BY ANA VENEGAS Hundreds of Orange County Catholics headed to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles for a special Mass to pray for immigration reform. About four thousand Catholics filled the cathedral to capacity as Archbiship Jose H. Gomez officiated.

Joey Santos, 12, top right, and Matthew Santos, 7, bottom right, watch Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, at left, bless Ezmelda Gutierrez, of Pasadena, center, following a mass for immigration reform at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. About 400 Orange County residents attended the mass on Sunday. ///ADDITIONAL INFO : immig.catholics.0722 Shot Date 072113 PHOTO BY ANA VENEGAS Hundreds of Orange County Catholics headed to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles for a special Mass to pray for immigration reform. About four thousand Catholics filled the cathedral to capacity as Archbiship Jose H. Gomez officiated.

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez meets with attendees following a mass for immigration reform at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles in 2013. (Photo by Ana Venegas, Orange County Register/SCNG)

When it comes to immigration reform, the last refuge, quite simply, might be prayer.

A group of about 15 Catholics from Santiago de Compostela parish, mostly immigrant, will be doing just that over the next three days. Theyll be walking, and praying.

They also hope to raise awareness in the communities they pass through on a 52-mile pilgrimage from their church in Lake Forest to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles, said Lake Forest resident and parishioner Tom Haas, who will lead the group

Its not a march, its not a protest, he said. We are going to quietly pray that some reasonable immigration reform occurs in this country.

The walk is expected to culminate with Archbishop Jose H. Gomez celebrating the special Mass in Recognition of All Immigrants, at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 18, at the cathedral.

Haas said the pilgrims first stop on Friday will be at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Irvine. Theyll spend Friday night at St. Boniface in Anaheim. St. Marcellinus in the city of Commerce will serve as their rest stop Saturday night.

The Most Rev. David OConnell, Auxiliary Bishop for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, will join the group for the last leg of their journey Sunday morning, Haas said.

Were hoping more people join us as we walk toward Los Angeles, he said.

The idea for the walk came from Antonio Mendez, a parishioner at the Lake Forest church.

Three years ago I took a busload of parishioners from our church to the Mass in Los Angeles, Haas said. When we came out of the cathedral, I saw (Mendez) and I knew he didnt take the bus.

He learned that Mendez had walked all the way from Lake Forest.

He refused to take the bus back with us because he wanted to walk and pray, Haas said.

The next year, Mendez walked with four others and they spent the nights in public parks. This year, when Gomez heard about the pilgrims, he asked the church to put together a more organized walk, Haas said.

A pilgrimage is a sacrifice made in prayer that hopefully gets the attention of God, he said.

Even though Haas is not Hispanic, he said, most of the others who are walking are.

They are extremely concerned about the current immigration situation, especially about families getting separated, he said. They are worried about the wall that has been promised by President Trump. They are concerned about the possible doubling in number of ICE agents and increase in deportations.

Haas said as a Catholic he respects the borders and the nations law. But when people cross over and make it to this country, it becomes a humanitarian issue, he said.

We cant let them die, Haas said.

Parishioners at St. Marcellinus are eager to pray with the group Saturday evening, said Humberto Ramos, parish life director at the church.

Its wonderful that these pilgrims have taken on the issue of immigration, he said, adding that the Archdiocese started holding the Mass six years ago to not just pray for immigration reform, but also to recognize immigrants contributions.

We are all united in prayer, Ramos said. And thats a powerful thing.

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Catholic pilgrims undertake 52-mile walk to pray for immigration reform - OCRegister

Six-year-old Michael Claros joins his parents Miguel Claros, left, and Fatima Quisbert, right, during a rally for immigration reform in this Nov. 20, 2015, file photo outside the Supreme Court. Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

The protection program for parents, like the one for young immigrants, was created with a policy memo during the Obama administration. Both programs required that participants meet certain conditions, including not having a criminal history. As part of the expansion to protect immigrant parents living in the United States illegally, the Obama administration also sought to provide the young immigrants with work permits good for three years at a time. That provision was also blocked by the Texas judge.

Revoking the memo and ending the stalled program fulfill a key campaign promise by Trump, who pledged to "immediately" cancel both efforts. Trump has not said what he plans to do about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but so far most immigrants protected by the effort have not been targeted by stepped-up efforts to find and deport immigrants living in the country illegally. As of March 31, about 787,000 young immigrants have been approved for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, according to government data.

Arrests of immigrants in the interior of the country have increased under the Trump administration, but deportations are slightly down as fewer people have been caught crossing the Mexican border into the United States illegally.

Trump has made immigration enforcement a top priority and has vowed to continue a crackdown on those living in U.S. illegally and those trying to sneak into the country.

Original post:
Trump Administration Revokes Blocked Program to Protect Immigrant Parents - NBCNews.com

More than 780,000 DREAMers have been allowed to stay in the U.S. under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program created under President Obama. Many worry about their future under President Trump. USA TODAY

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.(Photo: Susan Walsh, AP)

WASHINGTON President Trump's Department of Homeland Security has rescinded former President Barack Obama's order shielding millions of migrants from deportation, but is letting stand a policy that grants reprieves to people who arrived in the United States as children.

Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly announced late Thursday that, after consulting with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, he is rescinding an Obama memorandum from 2014 that allowed immigrants to remain in the United States under certain conditions.

The rescinded memo created a program that protected undocumented immigrants from deportation if they have a child who is a U.S. citizen or lawful resident.

The program known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA was never implemented because it was challenged in court by 26 states and was put on hold by federal courts.

The DHS decision to rescind the memo came ahead of a court-ordered deadline to resolve the case.

Kelly said in a news release that he decided to rescind the memo because there is no credible path forward to litigate the policy.

The decision fulfills part of a campaign promise by Trump, who vowed to overturn two of Obamas memos on illegal immigration.

However, Kelly said the decision would not impact an Obama program created in 2012 that granted reprieves from deportation to nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children.

The terms of that program, known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, will not change, Kelly said.

The rescinded program provided expanded work authorization for recipients under DACA.

But so-called Dreamers who were issued three-year extensions before the district courts injunction will not be affected and will be eligible to seek a two-year extension upon their expiration," the news release said. "No work permits will be terminated prior to their current expiration dates."

Read more:

DREAMers on edge over Trump on fifth anniversary of protected status

Undocumented Texas students fight anti-sanctuary law

Fed's Kaplan: Immigration crackdown hurting economy

Advocates for undocumented immigrants warned that while Kelly left the DACA program in place for now, theres nothing to keep the Trump administration from reversing it in the future.

This memo and the response from the White House is not a permanent promise to protect the program, said Greisa Martinez Rosas, advocacy director forUnited We Dream, which identifies itself as the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation.

The DACA program still stands," she said, "but its vulnerable.

Advocacy groups also were incensed that the Trump administration rescinded the parental program on the fifth anniversary of DACA.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., praised Kelly's decision to rescind the DAPA program, calling it a deeply irresponsible policy from the start.

It essentially said to illegal immigrants that we wouldnt enforce our laws and encouraged them to risk their lives in coming to the United States, Cotton said. It was also a blatant attempt by the president to circumvent Congress that the courts swiftly shut down. Im glad to see Secretary Kelly take it off the books. Such a high-handed fiat deserves nothing less than to be rescinded in full.

Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., blasted Kellys decision, noting that it came as Democrats and Republicans had put aside partisanship and gathered for the Congressional Baseball Game following theshooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., during a practice session early Wednesday.

Before the game had even finished, the Trump administration shattered this spirit of good feelings by announcing the rescission of the DAPA program, Beyer said.

Beyer took some confront in noting that the DACA program would remain in place, but said that the need for comprehensive immigration reform giving undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship has never been more urgent.

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Trump keeps policy on Dreamers, eliminates protection for older immigrants - USA TODAY