For more than 20 years, I have held one position constant when it comes to immigration policy: We should have one.
I am less concerned about the number of immigrants we take in every year than I am about the fact that we — voters, policymakers, politicians, what have you — don’t pick a number.
I’d be fine with 1 million or 2 million immigrants a year. I’d also be fine with a temporary freeze on most immigration. I think preferences for skilled immigrants are entirely defensible. I also think a generous asylum policy is morally preferable to a narrow one.
But for me, the priority is making a decision about the number and kind and sticking to it.