Dear All:
When Progressives for Immigration Reform opened its doors in 2008, our mission was simple; reach our colleagues to the left of the political spectrum and enlighten them on the consequences of less restrictive and poorly regulated immigration policies.
Over the last 15 years we’ve made strides in that direction and learned a lot. For instance, we’re most effective when we work as activists connecting grassroots and disparate visions in ways that unite people from all stripes behind a common cause. We also developed a knack for identifying neglected issues and that allowed us to develop expertise which led to testifying before Congress and meeting President Trump and members of his cabinet.
Proud as I am of our record, I still felt we weren’t realizing our full potential, so last December I worked closely with our board of directors to retool the organization.
In The Matter With Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions and the Unmaking of the World, author Iain McGilchrist discusses the notion that the sum of all parts doesn’t necessarily equal the whole, and that insight is apropos to PFIR. As an organization and a movement, we’ve been good at identifying issues, but not very good at effectively influencing events and changing outcomes. We had a vision; every organization does but it lacked the broader scope required to energize the masses adversely impacted by immigration.
The Big Picture
Many years ago, I was a volunteer for Ross Perot’s 1992 presidential bid and later worked for his United We Stand America organization which correctly predicted the harm the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) would have on American workers. Yes Virginia, there really was a “giant sucking sound” as manufacturing jobs left the country. Our economy has never fully recovered. In fact, we’re still losing ground as we witness white collar jobs being outsourced.
United We Stand America wasn’t fighting trade agreements as much as it was fighting the notion of neoliberalism, which loosely defined is the uninhibited movement of people, goods and capital across international borders to maximize profits. The combination of neoliberalism and globalization commodify everything and reduce humans to mere digits on a balance sheet. Everyone and everything takes a backseat to profit taking and rent seeking.
Operating as the Institute for Sound Public Policy (IfSPP) will allow us to broaden our scope to include the many faces of globalization of which immigration is just one aspect. As example, there are people, associations, and organizations open to restricting immigration but they have no interest in trade policy. On the other hand, there are those interested in trade policy but they want the door left open for a steady stream of cheap labor.
Our Mission
While we are still as committed as ever to shaping immigration policy, our expanded scope will allow us to look at the movement of goods and capital and how that activity impacts labor and the environment.
There’s an old adage, “there are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” Expanding our scope will allow us to more effectively unite diverse groups and make them, if nothing else, co-belligerents against the forces harming their economic prosperity and quality of life.
Our mission is to solve big problems through activism and advocacy and to partner with other activists who can help us formulate and implement sound public policy at all levels of government.
Our Focus
We will work to foster an economic, social and political environment ripe with opportunity which supports every U.S. citizen’s pursuit of happiness by focusing on the following areas:
Economic:
We cherish the liberty a market economy affords, but believe the industrial, labor, trade, and immigration policies driving it must prioritize increasing per capita domestic production over gross domestic product (GDP). We endorse market-based policies that deliver shared prosperity and create an environment where median income rises at the same rate as productivity.
Social/societal:
Through active conservation measures, we strive to preserve both our natural environment, which underpins life as we know it, and our built environments whose architecture inspires us with its beauty and purpose. Our shared cultural traditions and values make us resilient, healthy, and cohesive as a society.
Government:
The U.S. is a republic, and we seek to maximize every citizen’s participation and involvement in the political process. To that end, the integrity of our electoral process must be beyond reproach and our justice system must be fair and equitable.
With the website up and the biggest hurdles behind us, we will be returning to our bi-monthly newsletter cycle and will also be throwing in regularly scheduled podcasts to bring you news and information you want and need. We are also looking for content creators and co-creators who share our vision and are eager to contribute their time and effort.
For now, please visit our new website and share your feedback. I’m excited for this new chapter and our future and I look forward to your continued support.
Watch Now! Interview with Jayant Bhandari
Latest Posts
Clinton, Bush, Obama Align With Open Borders Groups The ongoing open border crisis involves former first families associated with groups transporting migrants from their home countries to the United States. Read More 
More Visas in 2023; Bad News for U.S. Students, Tech Workers The federal government sanctions importing more foreign nationals even though the industry they’re destined to work in is firing people, including H-1Bs. Read More 
Back in Vogue: Child Labor Even though the nation is divided about immigration, unanimity must be reached. Immigration, whether legal or illegal, cannot be a vehicle for child labor. >Read More |
Media Coverage
May 4, 2023 – Corporations Are Gaming the Visa System and Cheating American Workers | Opinion (newsweek.com) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued a statement citing massive fraud in its new electronic registration system for the H-1B visa. Read More 
Mar 22, 2023 – There Are Limited Spots for Doctors in Medical Schools—and We’re Giving Them Away to Foreigners | Opinion (newsweek.com) There’s one profession whose students graduate from an advanced learning program, pass all the required exams but are barred from employment. Read More 
Mar 14, 2023 – We’re Finally Reshoring Manufacturing and They’re Already Taking the Jobs Away From Americans | Opinion (newsweek.com) President Biden’s State of the Union address sounded similar notes to President Trump, with a big focus on “Made in America.” Read More |
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