Switzerland just set a great example for America on immigration — we need to have a national conversation
Switzerland just set a great example for America on immigration -- we need to have a national conversation
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Betsy McCaughey
OpinionSwitzerland just set a great example for America on immigration — we need to have a national conversation
By Betsy McCaughey Published June 19, 2026, 7:00 a.m. ETSee more of our coverage in your search results.
Add The New York Post on GoogleSwiss voters went to the polls Sunday and resoundingly rejected capping the country’s rapidly growing population at 10 million by limiting immigration.
Congratulations to the Swiss for staging a national conversation over immigration — something the United States urgently needs to do.
The Swiss have seen their population soar by more than 25% since 2000. The newcomers are for the most part workers from neighboring European countries, not migrants from the Middle East or Africa.
Even so, the right-leaning Swiss People’s Party pushed for immigration restrictions, arguing that such rapid population growth strains housing, social programs and Swiss identity.
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Opponents of the measure, who dubbed it a “Swiss Brexit,” warned that stopping the free flow of Europeans into Switzerland would threaten its special relationship with the EU, which buys over half of all Swiss exports.
They also argued Switzerland has grown wealthy over many decades, despite a lack of natural resources, by attracting foreign innovators — including the immigrants who launched giant Swiss companies like Nestle, Swatch and Novartis.
It’s time for Americans to have a national conversation on immigration, as the Swiss just did.
We don’t have to come to the same conclusion: The Swiss wanted to make sure their laws served the best interests of Switzerland; our laws should serve the United States.
But the discussion needs to get to the heart of the matter.
Sadly, our politics has been fixated on one polarizing, fringe issue — ICE and deportations — rather than on the real question: Whom should we invite into the United States?
The current law, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, must be replaced with immigration standards that boost our economy and avoid dependence on public handouts.
A staggering 47% of US households headed by a noncitizen collect welfare benefits such as food assistance or Medicaid, per the Center for Immigration Studies. Ouch.
That’s almost double the dependence rate (28%) for households headed by someone born in America.
Americans are fed up with taking in newcomers who need to mooch. It’s not sustainable.
Part of the blame goes to our crazy immigration laws, which give preference to newcomers with family ties — a child or other relative already here — instead of job skills, education, English-speaking ability or interest in American civic life.
Congress needs to scrap those laws, enacted in 1965, and give the nation a merit immigration system that will boost the economy and spare taxpayers.
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That’s what smart countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore are doing.
Another part of the blame for the scandalous dependence of immigrants on welfare is the Biden open-border policy.
The 2021-’24 border surge brought in migrants significantly less educated and capable of supporting themselves than those who came before.
The number of newcomers with no education beyond high school more than doubled from 2019 to 2023, CIS reports.
The immigrants using welfare are not lazy; most are working. In fact, they’re more likely to be employed than US-born adults, but their minimal schooling dooms them to earn little and become a permanent dependent class.
Adult male immigrants now earn 52% of what US-born male workers earn, down from 62% in 2019, because of the Biden surge of unskilled, minimally educated migrants.
Ultimately that will force down wages for low-skilled Americans, too.
The Biden administration’s surge was nothing short of treasonous. Like napalming our towns and cities, leaving them with a growing dependent class and public debt.
The border is now closed. President Trump showed it could be done, without any major immigration legislation, despite the Democrats’ pleas that “comprehensive immigration reform” was needed first.
A new Harvard/Harris poll indicates this is the opportune time to fix our immigration mess.
The public regards it as the most pressing issue after affordability (No. 1) and the economy (No. 2).
It far outstrips concerns for health care, the US-Iran conflict, the environment or education.
So let’s get to it. Political polarization seems to be softening.
A slim majority of Democrats (52%) now say their party is “against open borders.”
Republicans, who risk losing control of Congress after the midterm elections, should seize the moment to divert the national conversation from the fringe controversy over ICE to merit-immigration reform.
Whom we let in will determine how we prosper.
Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York.
Filed under- donald trump
- employment
- europe
- european union
- ice
- immigrants
- immigration
- iran
- joe biden
- medicaid
- Operation Epic Fury
- us border
- welfare
- 6/19/26
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
