This year, April Fools’ Day has a new meaning. The fools are the foes of immigration and globalization who demand strict limits on the number of skilled foreign workers eligible for visas to work in the United States.

They are fools because their policies don't secure American jobs; they squander them. By keeping out the best and the brightest, by driving them to return home or move to other countries, the anti-globalists choke off the talent and dynamism needed to expand the economy and extend opportunity.

Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder who knows something about innovation, made this point when he lobbied Congress earlier this month to raise visa quotas: “Today, knowledge and expertise are the essential raw materials that companies and countries need in order to be competitive,” he said. “We live in an economy that depends on the ability of innovative companies to attract and retain the very best talent, regardless of nationality or citizenship.”

On April 1, the government will accept applications for H-1B visas, entitling skilled professionals to work here for up to six years. But only 65,000 slots are available, plus another 20,000 for holders of graduate degrees. Last year, 133,000 applications were filed in two days, before the process was cut off, and even more requests are expected this year.