President Joe Biden wants to bring up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing war to the United States. This is the American way. “Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,” says the eloquent Statue of Liberty poem, “The New Colossus,” penned by Emma Lazarus.
Immigrants strengthen us, and for that reason I have another idea that will strengthen us. It has the added benefit of further weakening Russian President Vladimir Putin. And I know from firsthand experience – having worked as a young man in the American Embassy in Moscow – that it works. More on this in a moment.
First, the idea: Putin has declared war on more than Ukraine. In an epic blunder, he has also declared war on his own country’s future. Russia’s best and brightest are fleeing, and they’re taking their brains, talents and aspirations with them. We should bring them here.
Putin’s other war: Russians like me are fleeing a totalitarian crackdown at home
We’re talking about young, vibrant, English-speaking professionals. Coders, engineers, doctors, scientists and more. Even before Putin’s brutal and indiscriminate attack on Ukraine, they were looking for a way out. Last summer, the Levada Center, a respected Russian polling firm, reported that nearly half of Russians aged 18-24 and one-third of those aged 25-39 expressed interest in fleeing Putin’s Russia. Now they have. They’ve taken their brains to Germany, Turkey, the Baltics and more. Why not here, too?
Bright minds for medicine, science
Just to give one example of how we can help ourselves: The United States has huge and growing shortages of doctors. A report from the Association of American Medical Colleges projects that we’ll need as many as 139,000 more physicians by 2033. By then, the entire Baby Boom generation, currently estimated at about 73 million Americans, will be older than 65.
Meanwhile, as our technological competition with China heats up, the U.S. needs more students and teachers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. A recent study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies notes STEM proficiency in the United States has been declining since the 1980s. Grabbing all the young brain power we can from Russia can help.
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Shortages in the areas we need undercut the argument of the anti-immigrant crowd that bringing in skilled Russians would take jobs away from Americans. In fact, immigrants would create them. The National Foundation for American Policy, a nonprofit think tank, noted that immigrants have founded or cofounded 55% of companies worth $1 billion or more – so-called “unicorn” companies. Perhaps the most current and prominent example here is Moscow-born Sergey Brin, whose Jewish family was welcomed here in 1979, when he was 6 years old. Brin went on to cofound Google.
America has benefited from Russian brains and creativity for generations. Aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky is credited with inventing both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Vladimir Zworykin helped create the television set, which would eventually air movies produced by the Wonskolaser brothers, who came here and changed their name to the more American-sounding Warner Brothers.
We know how to screen for safety
The federal government should set up a program immediately to screen applicants who want to come here and give green cards to anyone who clears the needed security checks.
I know this can work. Many years ago, when I worked in the American Embassy in Moscow, I had an interesting job. I was part of a small team that screened Soviet citizens who sought to emigrate to the United States.
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The program, authorized by the 1990 Lautenberg Amendment, named for the then-New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, was originally designed to bring Soviet Jews to safety. It was later expended to include persecuted religious minorities in other countries, like Iran.
When reviewing files and meeting hopeful emigres, I remember many were scientists, doctors and the like. They were burning with desire to get out and come to America – then as now, a beacon of hope and opportunity. Screening was strict, checks were made, but today I’m absolutely certain the families I helped leave have strengthened America in myriad ways.
We can do so again now. Even in this hyper-partisan era, this should be a no-brainer: We can help ourselves and weaken Putin. What are we waiting for?
Paul Brandus is the founder and White House bureau chief of West Wing Reports and a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors. His latest book is “Jackie: Her Transformation from First Lady to Jackie O.” Follow him on Twitter: @WestWingReport
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: United States should make strategic use of Russia brain drain
