Alan Greenspan promotes massive skilled immigration, opposes immigration enforcement

There was massive immigration Kabuki theater today as former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan testified before the Senate's Homeland Security Committee (transcript via thinkprogress.org/2009/12/17/greenspan-immigration-economy; video at peekURL.com/vljut3c)

LIEBERMAN: Forget all the politics of this — if we had a significant increase in America of legal immigration that would be one way to grow the economic pie?

GREENSPAN: It would be... We have a very large number of immigrants who are high school or less educated, a significant part of whom are illegal. And then we have a remarkably large number of Ph.D.’s and better who have come to this country and contributed immensely to our economic success. I argue that both groups are affecting the economy in a positive way. If we try to send all our illegals home…speaking as an economist, I will tell you, we would have a very serious problem. There are 12 million of them.

LIEBERMAN: I am not suggesting we increase legal immigration as a way to deal with the national debt. But it does have those positive economic implications.

GREENSPAN: Oh it certainly does, Mr. Chairman.

Note that Greenspan was misleading Congress and apparently with Joe Lieberman's connivance: we couldn't send all 12 million (or more) illegal aliens home at once. If Lieberman weren't simply putting on a show, he'd ask Greenspan about the impact of attrition; instead, both are engaging in a strawman argument related to the deportations false choice.

Thu, 12/17/2009 - 15:42 · Importance: 4