After Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, CGD assessed what was needed for the country to “build back better.” First stop? US immigration policy. Led by Michael Clemens, the Center successfully advocated to add Haitians to the list of nationalities eligible to participate in the United States’ largest temporary work visa program, opening the door for them to increase their earning potential by about 10 times through temporary employment in seasonal jobs in the United States. But it’s not just Haiti and developing countries that benefit from smarter US immigration policies — the United States stands to gain as well. Clemens’s latest work brings fresh, independent economic analysis to divisive issues in the ongoing US immigration debate.
