CORNELL UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICEMarch 1, 2017 Trump’s immigration ‘compromise’ ignores basic economics

Maria Lorena Cook, a professor of comparative labor at Cornell University’s ILR school and author of several books on labor movements in Latin America and unauthorized migration, argues the Trump administration’s immigration policy must include a legal pathway for millions of workers whose labor has become central to agriculture, construction, hospitality and services sectors.

Cook is available for interviews in Spanish.

Bio: https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/people/maria-lorena-cook

Cook says:

“Trump’s hinted proposal to reform the immigration system and admit people based on a ‘merit-based’ criteria does not address one of the major weaknesses of the U.S. immigration system: the lack of a legal pathway for millions of workers whose labor has become central to the U.S. agriculture, construction, hospitality and services sectors.

“It is precisely this lack of legal immigration options for many low-skill immigrant workers, coupled with the structural dependence of broad sectors of the U.S. economy on immigrant workers, that is responsible for the large number of undocumented immigrants in the country today.

“Even if Congress eventually succeeds in passing a legalization program for undocumented immigrants already in the country, without a legal pathway for future immigrants that includes low-skilled workers, the major flaws of our immigration system will remain.”

For interviews contact:Rebecca Vallioffice: 607-255-7701cell: 607-793-1025[email protected]

Cornell University has television, ISDN and dedicated Skype/Google+ Hangout studios available for media interviews.

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