I absolutely agree for a variety of reasons, but should it not be equally as critical to mitigate factors that stand in the way of domestic STEM growth? All those STEM immigrants have to come live here, but when their children grow up in an environment that does not prioritize STEM, is the only solution more STEM immigration? There are some absolute benefits to STEM immigration into the US, like brain-draining competing nations, and establishing a STEM community with international connections for global stability. Benefits like that are of immense value, but it would also be valuable if more US residents were inspired to pursue STEM. Inspiration is more than just pursuit of STEM as a rewarding career. Inspiration should result in STEM workers who are innately interested in the field. It's a failure of the US that many interested in STEM cannot work in the field due to costly and superflous requirements, such as expensive education and publishing institutions, and the cost of living being so high as to prevent less privileged from meaningful advancement in STEM domains. While it's good that STEM is a means towards upward mobility for many, the pursuit of it has become gamified by interests complacent with its inaccessibility.
Yup. And migrant workers are critical to American food security.
Taken together, all of Trump's campaign rhetoric regarding immigration and imports adds up to economic and military sabotage.
The only hope we have as a country is that he was lying --- again.