The New York Daily News, 12/06/2012 –

“Mayor Bloomberg told the 'STEM in the City' conference… that New York…can't retain immigrant tech innovators.

“If the nation wants to lure the technology jobs of the future — and avoid a devastating crisis — it needs an immediate overhaul of its immigration laws, Mayor Bloomberg said…

“…‘We are on the wrong side of global competition,’ Bloomberg told influential business, technology and political leaders at the "STEM in the City" leadership summit…

“…‘Our economy depends on immigrants, and currently our immigration policy is what I call national suicide,’ Bloomberg told the influential crowd that included Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, IBM Vice President Stanley Litow, CUNY Chancellor Matthew Goldstein and city schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott.

“The mayor often uses the ‘national suicide’ line while campaigning for immigration reform…but it had a special urgency in a discussion about transforming the economy.

“…But many of these would-be tech entrepreneurs are immigrants who came to the United States on student visas, and if they’re not allowed to stay and build their businesses here, this massive investment in education could fall short of its best potential, [Bloomberg] said.

“…And the United States could lose its place as a leader of the global economy, never to recover.

“…‘I think we are underselling the importance of this,’ said Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, of STEM education.

“…[Bloomberg] heaped praise on immigrant students and criticized American lawmakers who’ve failed to provide pathways to citizenship. ‘We have the greatest universities in the world,’ but they are not retaining immigrant STEM students, the mayor said.”

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