Emerging Technology
day one project

Competitiveness Through Immigration

05.20.21 | 1 min read | Text by George Hovey

Summary

Immigration reform is a national security imperative. A net inflow of science and technology talent is a defining source of strength and key competitive advantage for the United States. Highly skilled science and technology workers provide our nation with an economic edge and drive innovation. However, intensifying competition for skilled workers abroad and self-imposed barriers to immigration at home are deterring potential talent from coming to the United States, instead routing them to competitor countries.

The Biden-Harris Administration should act to attract and retain foreign science and technology talent through a focused overhaul of U.S. immigration laws and procedures. Specifically, the Administration should draw top talent to the United States by streamlining the visa process and providing greater flexibility for foreign scholars and workers. Steps should be taken to ground visa processes in evidence-based procedures, expand visa limits and classes, redesign security-screening procedures to ease bottlenecks, and reallocate resources to build analytic capabilities. Doing so will enhance our national competitiveness, a top government-wide priority. Imminent action is crucial: the suppressed demand for U.S. visa services due to the COVID-19 pandemic has opened a once-in-a-century window to implement reform.

publications
See all publications
Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Moving Beyond Pilot Programs to Codify and Expand Continuous AI Benchmarking in Testing and Evaluation

At this inflection point, the choice is not between speed and safety but between ungoverned acceleration and a calculated momentum that allows our strategic AI advantage to be both sustained and secured.

06.11.25 | 12 min read
read more
Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
Develop a Risk Assessment Framework for AI Integration into Nuclear Weapons Command, Control, and Communications Systems

Improved detection could strengthen deterrence, but only if accompanying hazards—automation bias, model hallucinations, exploitable software vulnerabilities, and the risk of eroding assured second‑strike capability—are well managed.

06.11.25 | 8 min read
read more
Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
A National Center for Advanced AI Reliability and Security

A dedicated and properly resourced national entity is essential for supporting the development of safe, secure, and trustworthy AI to drive widespread adoption, by providing sustained, independent technical assessments and emergency coordination.

06.11.25 | 10 min read
read more
Emerging Technology
day one project
Policy Memo
A Grant Program to Enhance State and Local Government AI Capacity and Address Emerging Threats

Congress should establish a new grant program, coordinated by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, to assist state and local governments in addressing AI challenges.

06.11.25 | 8 min read
read more