Immigrants Keep Winning Nobel Prizes

By Stuart Anderson in Forbes.

"It is not new for immigrants to win Nobel Prizes. In 2016, all 6 American winners of the Nobel Prize in economics and scientific fields were immigrants to the United States.

Historically and up to the present day, immigrants have made significant scientific contributions to America. “Immigrants have been awarded 39 percent, or 33 of 85, of the Nobel Prizes won by Americans in Chemistry, Medicine and Physics since 2000,” concluded a recent report from the National Foundation for American Policy.

The study noted these types of accomplishments are not automatic: “The right immigration laws matter, particularly in determining whether the United States gains from increased globalization and rising educational achievement in India, China and elsewhere. The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 eliminated the discriminatory national origin quotas and opened the door to Asian immigrants, while the Immigration Act of 1990 increased employment-based green card numbers.”
Sir J. Fraser Stoddart, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2016 and an immigrant from the United Kingdom, noted that “his research group at Northwestern University has students and scientists from a dozen different countries.” Stoddart told The Hill that he believes scientific research will remain strong in America “as long as we don’t enter an era where we turn our back on immigration.”

The National Foundation for American Policy study noted, “When one asks successful entrepreneurs and scientists conducting groundbreaking research whether they favor liberalized policies on immigration, the answer they usually give is that more immigration and greater openness to international students, researchers and immigrants across the skill spectrum will help America grow and prosper.” Listening to successful entrepreneurs and scientists is a good idea."