Outgoing Silicon Valley lawmaker says big tech needs immigration reform

Outgoing California Rep. Anna Eshoo’s biggest tech regret isn’t what you’d expect: It’s immigration reform.

“We would not be the nation that we are without being an immigrant nation. And immigrants play a very important role in the technology industry. So many come to the United States to be educated here,” Eshoo, whose district covers Silicon Valley, said Sunday during an interview on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.”

“We have the finest colleges and universities,” Eshoo continued. “Certainly, Stanford University, which is the geographic center of my district. But once they’re educated, if they cannot get a green card, they have to leave.”

Eshoo, 81, announced last month that she won’t seek reelection in 2024, capping a more than 30-year career as a member of California’s House delegation. She’s one of roughly three dozen House members who are already heading for the exit next year.

Discussing comments about immigration she made in The Washington Post, Eshoo also expressed regret Sunday about the wording of part of a 1996 law — Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act — that protects websites from being sued over much of the content that other people post on their sites.

“I think we made a mistake, many, many years ago. I understand what we were thinking and why we did what we did at the time, because the Internet was really nascent then,” she said of the law — but Section 230 meant “they [would] not be liable for anything.” And that, she said, “was a mistake.”