Title : Trump promises to pass merit-based immigration overhaul in second term
link : Trump promises to pass merit-based immigration overhaul in second term
Trump promises to pass merit-based immigration overhaul in second term
Trump says he'll open America's doors to high-skilled workers who pass a civics test - so long as they can speak ENGLISH - and close it to people who come by 'random chance' in major immigration reform
- Donald Trump unveiled his immigration overhaul Thursday, providing a road map for weary lawmakers tired of anticipating what he wants
- Trump said visa applicants will be assessed on their proficiency in English and their score on a U.S. civics test they will be required to submit before they arrive
- 'We cherish the open door that we want to create for our country. But a big proportion of those immigrants must come in through merit and skill,' he said
- Trump said he is not seeking to change the number of green card holders or reduce the number of legal permanent residents
- 'But instead of admitting people through random chance, we will establish simple, universal criteria for admission to the United States,' he proclaimed
- In pre-written remarks he mostly followed, he said, he'd cut down on number of migrants approved with family ties
- 'No matter where in the world you're born, no matter who your relatives are, if you want to become an American citizen it will be clear exactly what standard'
- Trump acknowledged Democratic opposition to his plan and promised to pass it if voters send more Republicans to Congress and reelect him
- 'One of the reasons we will win is because of our strong, fair and pro-America immigration policy,' he said
Donald Trump unveiled his ideal immigration plan in a Rose Garden speech Thursday, calling for stricter criteria and a point-based system for legal entry into the United States.
Trump said applicants for work visas will be assessed on their proficiency in English and their score on a U.S. civics test they will be required to submit to before they arrive in the country.
'We want immigrants coming in. We cherish the open door that we want to create for our country. But a big proportion of those immigrants must come in through merit and skill,' he said.
Trump said he is not seeking to change the number of green card holders or reduce the number of legal permanent residents.
'But instead of admitting people through random chance, we will establish simple, universal criteria for admission to the United States,' he said.
'No matter where in the world you're born, no matter who your relatives are, if you want to become an American citizen it will be clear exactly what standard we ask you to achieve. It will be made crystal clear.'
Donald Trump unveiled his ideal immigration plan in a Rose Garden speech Thursday, calling for new criteria and a point-based system for legal entry into the United States
The proposal eliminates the diversity visa lottery for potential green card holders and refocuses the legal immigration system around skilled workers.
In addition to prioritizing English speakers and migrants with a perfunctory knowledge of U.S. history, the president says his 'merit-based, high-security plan' will ensure the country stops discriminating against high-achieving workers.
Trump's proposal does not address the plight of illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. They're currently protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program his administration is challenging in court.
The president did not explain how he'd treat most illegal immigrants who are currently in the country, but he asked Congress for the authority to reject new asylum claims and move migrants who are denied residency out of the country much faster.
'My plan expedites relief for legitimate asylum seekers by screening out the meritless claims. If you have a proper claim, you will quickly be admitted; if you don’t, you will promptly be returned home,' he said.
Trump acknowledged in remarks that Democrats are unlikely to to give their support to his immigration platform in advance of the 2020 election.
'Then we will get it approved immediately after the election, when we take back the House, keep the Senate, and, of course, hold the presidency,' he said. 'But wouldn’t it be nice to do it sooner than that? But it’s not a very long time, is it? Sixteen months.
The president said he'll campaign for reelection on the proposal he unveiled before his Cabinet, conservative leaders and Members of Congress.
'One of the reasons we will win is because of our strong, fair, and pro-America immigration policy. It’s time to restore our national unity and reaffirm our national purpose. It is time to rebuild our country for all Americans,' he said to applause.
'Together, we will create an immigration system to make America safer, and stronger, and greater than ever before.'
Trump's plan is still a work in progress, the White House told reporters on Wednesday. Officials said it will continue to evolve as they incorporate input from Republican lawmakers.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said the same day that the proposal the White House previewed to Congress 'isn't designed to become law' and was intended to 'unify' the GOP on border security and a merit-based admission system.
A presentation by senior officials to press before Trump's speech came in the form of a slideshow and did not include go into detail. The White House handed out copies of the slides, including a major adjustment to text that claimed it was 'The Republican Proposal' a day earlier, in the Rose Garden.
The updated pamphlet called it 'The Trump Proposal,' following on a claim from an official to DailyMail.com that it was the president's model, and he hopes to win GOP support for it.
In spite of a lack of details on how Trump would accomplish some of the plans core promises, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders insisted Thursday that the proposal is more than a set of goals and bullet points.
'We think it certainly is designed to become law. We think it should. That's why we put it out, and that's why we've spent a lot of time developing and making sure that this is something that could have buy-in from both sides and actually fix our system that hasn't been upgraded or touched in decades,' she told DailyMail.com.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Wednesday that the proposal the White House previewed to Congress 'isn't designed to become law.' He said it was intended to 'unify' the GOP on border security and a merit-based admission system
Even before Trump delivered his speech, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer came out against it, based on reports in the press on a Tuesday briefing for Republican senators and a Wednesday preview for press.
Schumer told Trump in a floor speech, 'If you’re going to do major immigration reform through Congress, you’re going to need bipartisan support. That means you sit down and talk to Democrats.'
The New York Democrat who shares a home state with Trump said, 'The fact that the President is announcing his bill today provides a further bit of irony, because this afternoon, the new Statue of Liberty museum opens.
'There is no greater symbol of America’s openness to immigration, of the greatness of America, than the Statue of Liberty,' he observed. 'The White House immigration bill is an insult – an insult – to our grand tradition of welcoming immigrants from all walks of life.'
Assailing the Republican president he said, 'It’s an appropriate metaphor that the President today is skipping the opening of the new Statue of Liberty museum, even though he’s in New York, to simply go to political fundraisers. He skips real immigration reform and offers a political document, and his trip to New York embodies that. Ironically and metaphorically.'
STICKING TO THE SCRIPT: Trump delivered remarks from a Tele-prompter to Members of Congress, his Cabinet and conservative leaders
Trump fired back at Democrats in his address, claiming they're for 'open borders, lower wages, and, frankly, lawless chaos.' He traded in Washington several hours later for New York, where he was raising money for his reelection bid in closed-door fundraisers.
While New York politicians were are Lady Liberty for the museum opening, the president was at the White House calling for new standards that would have kept most immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island from remaining in the United States.
He argued the outset of his remarks that was honoring the nation's 'rich history' of immigration with his proposal.
'If adopted, our plan will transform America’s immigration system into the pride of our nation and the envy of the modern world. Our proposal builds upon our nation’s rich history of immigration, while strengthening the bonds of citizenship that bind us together as a national family,' he stated.
'Throughout our history, we have proudly welcomed newcomers to our shores. Out of many people, from many places, we have forged one people and one nation under God, and we’re very proud of it. We share the same home, we share the same destiny, and we pledge allegiance to the same, great American flag,' he asserted.
Actual families will no longer have the same latitude to join their relatives in America on a permanent basis, if Congress approves of Trump's plan, he admitted.
'We prioritize the immediate family of new Americans — spouses and children. The loved ones you choose to build a life with, we prioritize. And we have to do that. They go right to the front of the line. Right to the front of the line, where they should be,' he explained.
Other family members, such as grandparents and cousins, would not be admitted unless they rack enough points in his new system.
Trump said legal immigrants to the country should favor his proposal because it improves the employment prospects for their children.
'The millions of legal immigrants who have come to America over the past half century are now cherished members of our national family. Going forward, it is their interest, and in their interest, and their children’s interest, to adopt a green card system that promotes a rising standard of living for all of our citizens,' he told them.
While Trump was pledging to limit the number of low-skilled workers who enter the country, politicians like Bill de Blasio were at the Statue of Liberty, celebrating a museum opening
South Carolina's Graham was in the audience for the address. Trump acknowledged that the Republican senator is working on 'immediate' relief at the border in a 'smaller plan' that he supports.
'So, as fast as you can get something done. This is the big, beautiful, bold plan, but we need something very quickly. And if you can get it done, that would be fantastic,' he said,
Graham unveiled an immigration plan Wednesday that zeros in on the humanitarian crisis at the border and reforms America's asylum laws.
The White House said the GOP senator's proposal is a 'subset' of Trump's and the two plans are complimentary to each other.
Trump's spokeswoman characterized Graham's comprehensive immigration reform proposal as a quick fix in a television appearance on Thursday morning.
'The president's plan, that he's going to talk about later this afternoon, is more of a long-term thing looking at modernizing and updating our entire immigration system,' she said.
Sanders said in a Fox News interview there's nothing in Trump's plan Democrats should be against.
'We want to move to this merit-based system. Democrats right now, unless they get on board with this, the only thing they’ve said they want is open borders. I think that is a terrible thing for our country and I think it’s a terrible message for them going into 2020 so I think it would be wonderful to watch them get on board with something that helps secure our border,' she warned.
Pelosi said Thursday morning at a news conference that Democrats want a plan that secures the border, has a path to citizenship, and accommodates families. She said they would only support a package that has 'certain principles' that her party agrees to, including but not limited to those ideals.
'We have to do it in a way that secures our border, has a path to citizenship, respects the value of family,' she told press.
President Donald Trump's senior adviser Jared Kushner greets a guest following a following an immigration speech by President Donald Trump in the Rose Garden
Graham had put the White House on blast the afternoon before, as he revealed his plan, telling reporters, 'The White House’s plan is not designed to become law. This is designed to become law.'
He said the White House plan emphasizing a border wall and merit-based immigration cannot win bipartisan support.
'I don’t think it’s designed to get Democratic support as much as it is to unify the Republican Party around border security,' he said Tuesday after seeing the White House's presentation.
Graham's bill would require asylum applicants from Central American countries to apply for refugee status before they migrate to the U.S. Asylum claims from those migrants would be automatically rejected at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The senator wants to create processing centers in Mexico to review asylum claims - something Trump has also tried to establish.
Graham's bill would allow families to be held together for up to 100 days, revising a 20-day limit that's currently in place. It would cut down on family separations but drive up the number of beds that are in use and the length of time that migrants can be detained.
He says he would hire 500 new immigration judges to cut down on wait times.
Trump met with Republican senators last week and sent his proxies to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to preview his pan.
A report after the GOP luncheon claimed that Trump's plan was lacking in details and Trump son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner had trouble handling the information.
An official disputed the claims on Wednesday, insisting senators' reactions had been 'misreported' and telling DailyMail.com, 'People were very, very enthusiastic about it.'
White House officials have briefed half of the Senate's 53 Republican members on the president's plan, the Trump adviser claimed. 'And there’s been no negative public comments from GOP senators, as well, on the record.'
The person suggested that leakers claiming otherwise were intentionally trying to derail the plan that seeks to decrease the number of immigrants who come because of family connections and increase the number of skilled workers.
A slide in the presentation press saw said that within the current system, just 12 percent of immigrants are coming because of employment and skill, while 66 percent are relocating because of family ties. Another 22 percent are allowed in for humanitarian causes and through the diversity visa lottery.
Trump's plan, which the slide mistakenly referred to as 'The Republican Proposal' even though officials said that wasn't the case, set up new categories of 57 percent employment and skill based immigration and a reduction to 33 percent for family links and 10 percent for humanitarian purposes.
The administration based its plan on systems in Australia, Japan and Canada.
Australia's point-based system prioritizes merit-based workers at 68 percent of its total with 30 percent relocating for family reasons and 2 percent coming for other reasons, the White House said.
Trump would totally do away with the diversity visa lottery in America, which he incorrectly claims involves countries picking its worst citizens and sending them to America.
Non-Americans apply for visas and are selected by the State Department at random through the system. If they pass background checks administered by the United States government, they are allowed to come to America on long-term visas.
Many illegal immigrants attempt to take advantage of America's asylum laws, which are meant for refugees. The Trump administration wants to scale back the number of asylum seekers and unclog the asylum system.
'Right now we have a lot of people who want to use our asylum system. Right now it’s so screwed up that those people aren’t getting the adjudication they need,' a senior official told press on Wednesday. 'So we want to make sure that people who have legitimate claims can come through quickly, and that people who are trying to take advantage of the system, use it as a back door, are ejected and removed in an expedited fashion but also given due process.'
Trump has pushed for a system that allows him to reject most Central American migrants' asylum requests and immediately send them back to their home countries.
President Trump threatened last week to resort to 'harsh measures' to address problems in the immigration system, if Democrats continue to stand in the way of his overhaul. He has already seized emergency powers to build a barrier at the border.
The White House has not said when it plans to release a fully-fleshed out immigration plan it will send to Congress for consideration.
'We’re fairly fluid in terms of how we do these things, but what we’ll do is: when we’re ready,' a senior Trump aide told reporters on Wednesday.
The official explained that president approved a draft proposal and immediately brought in a focus group of 12 senators to solicit their input.
While it could have went poorly, the person said, 'Turned out it went very, very well.
'Feedback in the room was great, and these are all people who are not bashful about telling you both privately and publicly about when they’re not happy with what you put forward,' the White House official assessed.
Asked whether the president seriously believes he can get a plan passed with Democratic senators vying for his job in hot pursuit, the official said the immediate goal is to get GOP senators on board.
'It’s very easy to be pessimistic, right? We recognize how hard it is. But again the president’s mandate to us is come up with something that ... represents my position on immigration, put it out there, let’s unify Republicans. That’s the immediate task. Once you do that, a lot of things become possible,' the person said.
The aide said of the plan's legislative viability, 'I don't know, maybe we can, maybe can't but we’re gonna try like hell to see if we can do it.'
'And the president's a dealmaker, and he's flexible and he wants to see this happen,' the aide insisted.
Thus Article Trump promises to pass merit-based immigration overhaul in second term
You are now reading the article Trump promises to pass merit-based immigration overhaul in second term with the link address https://coneknews.blogspot.com/2019/05/trump-promises-to-pass-merit-based.html
0 Response to "Trump promises to pass merit-based immigration overhaul in second term"
Post a Comment