"But there's tons of unemployed home-grown talent here!" I hear many people say. I argue otherwise. I have met these vaunted whiners who claim to possess all the skills they need to work at MS and beyond, and I can safely say that the vast majority wouldn't make the cut. Most are mindless script monkeys who couldn't hack their way out of a wet paper bag.
I have yet to see a major US corporation favor immigrants in their hiring. In fact, almost every single American company I've had dealings with pay immigrant labor the same salary as their American counterparts. With all the extra legal hassle and costs this actually makes immigration more expensive for the employer.
The talent shortage in the US tech sector is real, and instead of bemoaning the loss of jobs to immigrants, maybe American colleges should look at why they're producing so many people who don't make the cut. And perhaps these people who feel their jobs have been "stolen" should do some introspection and figure out just how hard these other guys are working compared to themselves.