New spotlight on the benefits of legal immigration

WASHINGTON (SOA) — Call it the new economic reality: Longer wait times at restaurants with subpar service, and retail workers nowhere to be found in department stores and, one of the most glaring examples playing out at nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

“Staff shortages are in a crisis. in nursing homes around the country right now," saidKatie Smith Sloan, President and CEO of LeadingAge, the national association representing nonprofit and mission-driven providers of aging services, including nursing homes.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the result has been, wings or even entire facilities shut down, which means everyday Americans wait months or sometimes years to get a loved one admitted.New regulationsare also set to take effect in 2026, requiring even more staff on hand, bringing threats of more closures and even fewer beds.

As dire as that need is, experts said there is a clear and easy solution - morelegalimmigration.

When asked if migrants coming to the United States looking for work could benefit the nursing home industry, Sloan said, “Absolutely. So many people who are coming from other countries come from countries that revere their elders and the opportunity to work in the United States and serve older adults would be a dream come true for them."

While many of them would need to get the proper training and certifications, over time she said the benefits could transform the industry.

For now, experts blaming a dysfunctional immigration system for what is still a major shortage of workers.

“You know, we're processing people, uh, for green cards who applied before 9/11, right now. I mean, if you're looking forward at the backlog, under our current system, most of the people who applied last year will die before they receive a green card,” saidDavid Bier, the Director of Immigration Studies at The Cato Institute.

Limited staff and resources combined with a surge in those applying both for green cards as well as seeking asylum are said to be the top reasons for the backlog.

Migrant workers have already been credited with helping the u-s avoid a recession up to this point, aiding the Federal Reserve’s goal of a “soft landing.”

Ron Hetrick is a Senior Labor Economist with Lightcast,an economic data tracking firm. In a recent interview, he said, "We know they’re doing a lot of the service jobs that we couldn’t fill in and that's when we saw the wage inflation going up. They’re filling the construction jobs, they’re filling the manufacturing jobs. There’s no doubt that they’re doing the very jobs that were in the very products that we’re seeing the most inflation in that’s driving the overall problem.”

The dire need for more workers is one reason why some experts contend legal immigration should be a top priority for Congress.

“You need about 34 million more people, in the labor force than what the social security trustees expect we will have in the 2030s, which are right around the corner at this point.”

It's a future that more and more people believe needs to be shaped now.