July 19, 2016 UPDATED 16 HOURS AGO


From left, Carlos Diaz Rosillo, a lecturer on government at Harvard University; Bernie Moreno, president of the Bernie Moreno Cos.; Hiroyuki Fujita, president of Quality Electrodynamics of Mayfield Village; Radhika Reddy, a partner in Ariel Ventures LLC; and moderator Doug Bugie, president of Antal International Network, the franchising arm of Antal International, an executive recruiting firm based in London.

By JAY MILLER

Although the rhetoric sometimes gets overheated, many Republicans, including some who are themselves immigrants, believe Donald Trump’s approach to immigration is the right one.

At a forum on Tuesday, July 19, in the Halle Building in downtown Cleveland, they and other panelists said the Trump policy of keeping immigrants out is focused only on illegal immigrants.

“He’s right about illegal immigration,” said Carlos Diaz Rosillo, a lecturer on government at Harvard University. “You can disagree with the wall or not, but (what) he also talks about — and it doesn’t get covered as much — is the door in the middle of the wall.”

Radhika Reddy, a partner in Cleveland-based Ariel Ventures LLC, which helps project financing, agreed with Diaz and suggested that the country needs to make it easier for students and skilled foreigners to enter the United States.

“I still think it’s very hard to get an H1B visa,” she said.

The H1B visa allows American companies to bring in foreign workers in specialized fields that require technical expertise.

Bernie Moreno, president of Cleveland’s Bernie Moreno Cos., which owns 31 auto dealerships, also agreed with Diaz.

“No one can possibly advocate for illegal immigration,” Moreno said. “The legal immigration conversation gets stuck in the conversation about the people who are already here illegally.

Taking the long view, Moreno added, “Immigration is the business model that built America today.”

The forum, “A Conversation on Immigration, Economic Development and the Republican Party,” was sponsored by the Republican Party of Cuyahoga County; Global Cleveland, a nonprofit that focuses on spurring regional economic development by attracting and welcoming newcomers to Greater Cleveland; and the Partnership for a New American Economy, a national coalition of business leaders and city officials who push for immigration reform.

http://www.crainscleveland.com/artic...al-immigration