Dave Reichert Quotes
Going forward, as we work to strengthen our border in the interests of homeland security, we must also recognize the economic importance of immigration reform.
United States, Congress, House. Representative Reichert speaking on Immigration Reform. Congressional Record, 109th Congress, 2nd Session, Government Publishing Office, 21 June 2006.
The United States policies at the time encouraged tens of thousands of foreigners to study in America—especially mathematics, science and engineering. Then after they graduate we expel them despite the fact that we have a great labor shortage of these technical skill areas. The result is that the American economy lags in one of its most important areas, high technology for lack of qualified people to fill the jobs. Larger American companies then set up operations overseas and hire many of the people who we kicked out, so they do not pay any taxes to America. The best and most ambitious of these American trained foreigners, then start their own businesses abroad, create many jobs that never benefit Americans and then sell to America competing with American firms. New York City alone had tens of thousands of open jobs at very high salaries for which there were no Americans to fill while the New York schools had trained enough foreigners to fill the jobs, but our national policies forced the best and the brightest to leave and compete with us.
David George Reichert is an American politician, veteran, and former sheriff who served as the U.S. Representative for Washington's 8th Congressional District from 2005 to 2019. He is a Republican and is the former elected sheriff of King County, Washington. In September 2017, Reichert announced that he would retire from Congress after his seventh term.
