Melody Barnes: Why a Struggling Economy Needs Immigrants

Obama's domestic policy advisor makes the case for welcoming newcomers to the table during lean times

Why should we open the door to newcomers at a time when American citizens are struggling to find work? That's the question National Journal's Ron Brownstein puts to Obama's domestic policy advisor in this clip from the opening ceremony of the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Melody Barnes's answer is the same one James Fallows gave in a 1983 issue of The Atlantic: Immigrants, almost by definition, breathe new creativity into a society. As Fallows put it, "The single most important quality in immigrants is the willingness to adapt. ... Compared with people who have not been forced to land on their feet, immigrants are generally more resourceful and determined."

To read more Atlantic coverage of immigration, including an 1896 rant against Southern Europeans, see this collection from our archives.

More video from the 2011 Aspen Ideas Festival