Staying True to American Values

In the noisy, tumultuous, divisive fight over President Trump’s executive orders on refugees and immigration, there is one voice I really miss: Ronald Reagan’s.

President Reagan was a strong conservative, and gave no quarter when it came to keeping America safe. He took control of the White House in very difficult economic times — much worse than today — with a mandate to save American jobs and rescue our economy. He knew many Americans felt left behind, and in his 1980 campaign pledged “a renewed dedication to the dream of America, and to give that dream new life, and make America great again.” And Reagan certainly was not naïve about foreign threats to our safety or our economy.

And yet Reagan also knew that a key part of America’s greatness was built by immigrants. He knew that immigrant entrepreneurs created jobs, immigrant workers filled vital needs in our economy, and immigrant families contributed greatly to our communities. He listened to all sides on the contentious and difficult issues of immigration policy, and then he worked with Democrats and Republicans to pass the Immigration Reform and Control Act in 1986. It wasn’t perfect; but it was progress.

To be candid, I was not a supporter of President Trump’s. I had concerns about the campaign he ran, and the lack of specificity on his policies. After he won, I was hopeful he’d shift from campaigning to governing, and as part of that pivot he’d reach out and listen to a range of views as he wrestled with the many complex issues facing the country. Specifically, I hoped he would follow Reagan’s example, and seek to find common ground on immigration. The events of the past few days have proven otherwise, at least so far.

The ban on refugees and documented immigrants based on religion or country of origin is antithetical to our principles and raises serious constitutional questions. The law will prevent tens of thousands of refugees from even applying for entry. I agree we need to keep our country secure and Americans safe, but we must do so in a way that is true to our ideals.

I also have concerns about how the order was developed and drafted. It appears there was very little consultation with immigration experts, or even the agencies that report into the President. Amazingly, press reports suggest the order was not reviewed by the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, or the State Department. Even those tasked with carrying out the order were kept in the dark until the very moment President Trump signed the document. We should all have concerns about taking such a major action without garnering insight and feedback from the relevant agencies and experts, especially when something this significant is at stake, and the issues around immigration are so complex, nuanced, and sensitive.

Similarly, we should all be worried about the broader implications of this Executive Order, which in addition to the ban, took steps to limit highly skilled immigration, something we desperately need for continued economic growth. Indeed, since entrepreneurs are big job creators, restricting immigration will likely reduce innovation and job creation. Let’s keep in mind that more than 40 percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants or children of immigrants. And immigrants today are more than twice as likely to found businesses as their native-born counterparts.

But as we encourage President Trump to do more listening on these issues, we must also continue to engage with him and his Administration. I support Travis Kalanick and Elon Musk in their work on President Trump’s advisory group, and disagree with those who would ostracize them or their companies for their willingness to engage with the President. A government of the people should seek input from as many of those people as possible. And when those people are well-respected business leaders and tech entrepreneurs, we should want them to have a seat at the table. We should want their voices to be heard.

Over the past three decades, I have served on advisory groups assembled by both Republican and Democratic Presidents, and there were plenty of times that I disagreed with others in the group and even with the President himself. But that’s the point. I want to see President Trump hear from more people, not fewer. Indeed, I hope all of us as Americans take steps to be sure our voices our heard, so together we can move the country forward. Abandoning any and all efforts to engage with the White House will only lead to more insular and unwise decisions.

All of this is to say that we need to be sure we are thoughtful as we put policies in place, err on the side of taking the extra time to fully understand the issues, and craft policies that don’t create unintended and often unfortunate consequences. I’m disappointed that the Trump Administration is off to a rocky start, but I also recognize they’re still assembling their team and putting the right processes in place, including outreach. I hope that President Trump will listen to voices from both the business committee and the immigrant community before he takes any further actions to restrict immigration by executive order. We have seen the chaos and disruption that comes from a failure to consult and listen — I hope the President does not choose the same course again. America’s ability to be the “shining city on the hill” that President Reagan spoke of so eloquently depends on it.