A debate over the future of legal immigration in the United States flared up on NewsNation’s CUOMO after a recent Turning Point USA event featured Vice President JD Vance arguing for a reduction in the number of legal immigrants entering the country.
The conversation pitted NewsNation anchor Chris Cuomo against Tyler Bowyer, the Chief Operating Officer of Turning Point Action, who was defending the conservative position that the U.S. must cut back on its reliance on immigration.
The debate was sparked by Vance’s appearance at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi, where he filled in for commentator Charlie Kirk. Vance challenged the notion that the U.S. is “committed to let in a million or 10 million or a 100 million people a year in the future” just because some have contributed to the country legally.
Cuomo quickly took issue with this stance, asserting that America “obviously needs immigrants,” now more than ever.
Citing current economic realities, Cuomo highlighted “7 and a half million open jobs right now,” particularly in the manufacturing sector, and pointed to a declining U.S. birth-to-death ratio as clear evidence of the need for an immigrant workforce. He challenged the argument against legal immigration, asking, “Why make the case that you don’t need them unless you’re just trying to push xenophobia?”
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Bowyer argued that the push to cut legal immigration is not xenophobic. Instead, he framed the current policy as a “crutch” that prevents necessary economic and labor reforms.
Bowyer contended that by “relying on the crutch of both legal and illegal immigrants,” the country is failing to incentivize Americans to train for and do the jobs that need to be done. He maintained that emerging technology and innovation should be utilized to fill labor needs, rather than relying on “low-grade” immigration.
In a move to refine the current system, Bowyer championed an approach that would prioritize skill and contribution, referencing a potential “Trump gold card system” to allow “the best of the best” and “the brightest of the bright” to come to the U.S. and immediately contribute.
Cuomo pushed back on the idea of Americans being forced to do the available jobs, stating that people “must be trained to do the jobs in the new economy.”
He concluded by insisting that the idea of not needing new people in the country “seems to be a recipe for our failure.”
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