Senate bill would tighten legal immigration, favor high-wage workers
Aug 2, 2017, 9:22 AM | Updated: 11:14 am
President Donald Trump, flanked by Sen. Tom Cotton, R- Ark., left, and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017, during the unveiling of legislation that would place new limits on legal immigration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump and two U.S. senators announced a bill Wednesday that would tighten the requirements for legal immigration and move the green card application process to a points-based system.
The president called the Reforming American immigration for Strong Employment Act — the “most significant reform to our immigration system in half a century” during a press conference with Sens. Tom Cotton and David Perdue.
“The RAISE Act will reduce poverty, increase wages and save taxpayers billions and billions of dollars,” the president said.
Perdue and Cotton introduced the legislation in February that would change a 1965 law. It would reduce the number of legal immigrants, limiting the number of people able to obtain green cards to join families already in the United States.
“This competitive application process will favor applicants who can speak English, financially support themselves and their families and demonstrate skills that can contribute to our economy,” Trump said.
The bill would also aim to slash the number of refugees in half and eliminate a program that provides visas to countries with low rates of immigration.
The president said the new system would essentially give American workers a raise by reducing competition created by low-skill workers who were given a green card.
The act would also prevent new immigrants from being eligible for welfare right away.
“They’re not just going to come in and immediately accept welfare,” Trump said. “They’re not going to do that.”
Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a hallmark of his administration. He has tried to slash federal grants for cities that refuse to comply with federal efforts to detain and deport those living in the country illegally.
The White House said that only 1 in 15 immigrants comes to the U.S. because of their skills, and the current system fails to place a priority on highly skilled immigrants.
Wednesday’s announcement was aimed at bringing attention to the bill, which has been largely ignored in the Senate, with no other lawmaker signing on as a co-sponsor. GOP leaders have showed no inclination to vote on immigration this year.
Some immigrant advocates have criticized the proposal, saying that slashing legal immigration would hurt industries like agriculture and harm the economy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
