President Donald Trump embraced legislation on Wednesday that would dramatically reduce legal immigration and shift the nation toward a system that prioritises merit and skills over family ties.
Mr. Trump joined with Republican Sens. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas to promote the Bill, which has so far gained little traction in the Senate. It was the latest example of the President championing an issue that animated the core voters of his 2016 campaign, following decisions to pull out of the Paris climate treaty and ban transgender people from the military.
Skills-based point system
The legislation would replace the current process for obtaining legal permanent residency, or green cards, creating a skills-based point system for employment visas. The Bill would also eliminate the preference for U.S. residents’ extended and adult family members, while maintaining priority for their spouses and minor children.
Overall, immigration would be slashed 41% in the legislation’s first year and 50% in its 10th, according to projection models cited by the Bill’s sponsors. The Bill would also aim to slash the number of refugees in half and eliminate a programme that provides visas to people from countries with low rates of immigration.
The roll-out included a combative press briefing led by Trump policy aide Stephen Miller, who clashed with the media over the plan and accused one reporter of being “cosmopolitan” when he suggested it would only bring in English-speaking people from Britain and Australia.
Backers said the Bill would sharply increase the proportion of green cards available to high-skilled workers and would not affect other high or low-skilled worker visa programmes such as H1-B and H2-B visas.
But the Senate has largely ignored a previous version of the measure, with no other lawmaker signing on as a co-sponsor. GOP leaders have showed no inclination to vote on immigration this year, and Democrats quickly dismissed it.