Think about what makes the United States truly powerful. One could argue it’s the millions of people the world over who want to emigrate here. That is among the most powerful elements of so-called soft power that makes the United States influential beyond all other nations, and what has attracted the world’s brightest and most ambitious minds to our country, people who played huge roles in building American industry, not the least of which is the formation and innovations of Silicon Valley. Witness the recent study by the National Foundation for American Policy that found 55 percent, or 50 of 91, of the country’s $1 billion startup companies, had at least one immigrant founder. Another study concluded one-quarter of new businesses are founded by immigrants.
Our universities educate people from around the planet and the leaders of many countries have been educated at U.S. institutions of higher learning, including 20 percent of African leaders, a continent many economist