For decades, US policymakers have bet that the world’s best and brightest will endure a dysfunctional immigration process for a chance at the opportunities the country offers. And for decades, they have been right. Talented people born outside of the US have continued flocking to America’s schools, companies, and way of life, and staying for good when they can.

The Trump administration is now doubling down on this bet. As it creates a slew of new barriers to skilled immigrants in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic, it assumes that America will continue to be uniquely attractive to foreign talent—attractive enough, at any rate, to satisfy the country’s needs for highly skilled labor. But the odds on this bet are changing.

Read the full article at MIT Technology Review.