The second option for innovation is through action by the president and his administration in the executive branch. The United States and other countries could establish a so-called global skill partnership, a bilateral migration agreement that would allow U.S. employers to train workers to obtain valuable skills; that training could be done either in the United States or abroad, and then workers could come to the U.S. states that need them. Creating a pathway for individuals to live and work in Iowa and other states would ease the burden on America’s asylum system. Moreover, it would allow employers to train people in a way that’s tailored to the specific requirements of their businesses.
In this sort of partnership, immigrants would receive job training and could choose to come to the states that welcomed them, or they could remain at home, stabilizing those economies and taking pressure off our borders. Governors, as well as business and educational leaders, could call for more vulnerable immigrant populations to be trained to fill specific local labor needs.
The third option is within the states themselves. Some states are taking control of immigration through licensing reform. According to a 2021 Nursing Education study, four counties in Washington State were among the top 15 in the nation with the highest primary care worker shortages. (Nationwide, the shortage is expected to reach up to 124,000 doctors by 2034.) The state passed legislation offering a limited license for international medical graduates to gain clinical experience. (This doesn’t interact with federal law, since it only affects refugees who are already in the state.) By revising these guidelines, Washington has licensed about 10 foreign medical providers. Together, those physicians have treated an estimated 20,000 state residents.
You might be surprised to see Governor Reynolds and Senator Johnson, both Republicans, leading immigration reform. But that is happening because businesses in states like Iowa and Wisconsin need workers. The Iowa Business Council has been pushing immigration reform for years to grow the state’s economy and keep employers in the area.
As current and former Iowans, we have been inspired by the administration of Gov. Robert D. Ray, a Republican who served from 1969 to 1983. He is perhaps best remembered for his humanitarian efforts to assist refugees in relocating to our state in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. It is this kind of forward-thinking, compassionate and savvy leadership we need today.
With Republican and Democratic governors involved, state programs that open doors for people in need while boosting our nation’s businesses are an investment in states’ futures.
Kristie De Peña (@kdpindc) is the vice president for policy and the director of immigration policy at the Niskanen Center. Robert Leonard (@RobertLeonard) is the news director for the radio stations KNIA and KRLS in Knoxville, Iowa. David Oman was a chief of staff to the Iowa governors Robert D. Ray and Terry Branstad and served as a chair of the Iowa Republican Party from 1985 to 1993.