It’s not just Latinos who are hoping the government shutdown ends and Congress can get back to work on immigration reform. The business community, and in particular the tech sector, wants to see legislation too. Brad Smith, Microsoft’s general counsel and executive vice president, talks with Maria Hinojosa about why he cares about immigration reform. He discusses how essential immigrant workers are for the tech sector, and the American economy as a whole.
Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons
And check out the extended interview here:
Brad Smith is Microsoft’s general counsel and executive vice president, Legal and Corporate Affairs. He joined Microsoft in 1993, and before becoming general counsel in 2002 he spent three years leading the LCA team in Europe, then five years serving as the deputy general counsel responsible for LCA’s teams outside the United States. He has played a leadership role locally and nationally on numerous charitable, diversity, business and legal initiatives. He recently was named by the National Law Journal as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in the United States.
I listened to Brad Smith appeal to open our doors to unjustly oppressed people in the whole World and could not understand if he were serious or just speaking Politically Correct.
The World today is vastly divided between Google-Apple-FB-MS World of Have Everything and the rest of Have Nothing World.
So, how can we take all the oppressed poor people to this Brave New World of ours? We just don’t have enough room, besides they come with their traditions, religions and habits, which already changing most of the European countries into Third World Countries. Does he wants the same for Seattle and God Forbid his very exclusive home some were in Belview? I don’t think so. Nobody prooved yet that that kind of diversity moves us forward, backward-yes. back to the Dark Ages, but with a lot of smartphones and laptops loaded with MS produts to control dark masses.
I believe that Brad Smith points out many beneficial points in which immigrants help our country. What he does not point out is how they are currently negatively affecting our country. They do deserve a chance to live and have a job in the United States but being from Southern California and living next to one of the most hispanic cities in Southern California, Santa Ana, I see A LOT of immigrants who do not work and just rely on the welfare system to live. I also find it very offensive when they fly another countries flag in OUR country and trash the cities that we give them. I know many immigrants that do work hard but I feel that the number of non hard working exceeds the working. And he talks about how there is all these jobs available but why then are SO many people without jobs? I do support having people coming over to have a better life if they have something to contribute but when they come over and do not really do anything.
Brad Smith argues that the ten to twelve million undocumented workers in the United States should be viewed as an economic asset. This claim is supported by the fact that the sheer size of the undocumented work force is something that has profound economic effects on wages, prices, and consumption in the national economy. There needs to be a viable and relatively quick method for determining the legal background of an immigrant and placing him or her in a monitored system. The majority of undocumented immigrants in this country are low skilled workers who perform tasks and jobs that many Americans take for granted. From a humanitarian point of view, there really is no argument for why there should not be an agreed upon path to US citizenship or guest worker program that allows hard working people from other countries to create a life in America for themselves and their families. As an employee of Microsoft, Brad Smith also points out how important it is for Congress and the nation to ensure that the United States is a desirable place to both work and live and can continue to attract the best and brightest.
I like how Brian Smith explains these 10-12 million people were are undocumented are a “national economic asset.” They do have the willingness to work hard and in the future they will be vital to connect us as one to understand Latin American and the other 96% of the world as well. It is nice to see that there are people who appreciate these immigrants who are hard workers.