>do we really want to replace local talent with not as talented, but less expensive, people?
This is a false dichotomy. These people could be just as skilled, if not more. So then your only argument is localism.
Also, if we _let immigrants compete in the labor market properly_ by not handcuffing people like H-1Bs to their company.... they won't be cheaper. They could just get poached by another company or take a job at market rates.
That's very wrong POV - you can train someone else to work with tooling/software/processes specific to your company, while still being less skilled or otherwise beneficial than him/her overall.
This is a false dichotomy. These people could be just as skilled, if not more. So then your only argument is localism.
Also, if we _let immigrants compete in the labor market properly_ by not handcuffing people like H-1Bs to their company.... they won't be cheaper. They could just get poached by another company or take a job at market rates.