National Security Experts Address Need to Ease Immigration for Foreign Science Talent

A group of national security experts sent a letter to House and Senate leadership this week requesting a fix to bottlenecks in the U.S. immigration system. They write, “Global STEM talent drives American leadership in critical sectors that underpin the defense industrial base, from computing to aerospace. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. graduate students in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor-related programs were born abroad. The U.S. remains the most desirable destination for the world’s best international scientists and engineers — a feat that China, despite extensive investments, has not come close to replicating. In today’s technology competition, the most powerful and enduring asymmetric advantage America has is its ability to attract and retain the world’s best and brightest.” The letter is in response to the conference committee on the Bipartisan Innovation Act.