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President Trump unveiled Thursday a long-overdue immigration reform that would radically change the way the United States accepts people in the country by changing the system to favor merit-based admissions instead. than on family ties.
"When it is passed, our plan will turn the US immigration system into pride of our country and envy of the modern world," Trump told Rose Garden.
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The proposal would judge immigrants according to a point-based system that would favor highly skilled workers – taking into account age, English proficiency, training and whether the applicant has or has not a well-paying job offer.
Currently, only about 12% of immigrants are admitted on the basis of their jobs and skills, while 66% of them are based on family ties in the US administration. It is estimated that these figures would increase to 57% and 33% respectively under the Trump Plan.
"Currently, 66% of legal immigrants come here by chance, they are admitted only because they have a parent in the United States, and no matter who that parent is," Trump said.
He added that this plan would help recruit the "best talent".
"We are discriminating against genius," Trump said of current policies. "We discriminate against genius, we will not do it again once we have passed that."
The average annual salary of legal immigrants is approximately $ 43,000. Officials said Wednesday that immigrants admitted on the basis of their education and skills would have an average income of $ 126,000, and they expect the average annual earnings of all immigrants reach about $ 96,000.
Trump has long sought to end what he called "chain migration" as part of his broader efforts to reform US immigration laws and those allowed to do so.
He has also often called for the end of the visa lottery program, which his immigration plan seeks to do. This program would be replaced by a new "Build America Visa" program recognizing "extraordinary talent" and "people with a professional and specialized vocation", including exceptional students.
The plan does not concern those who are already illegally in the country, including those who arrived in the country as children and who were protected by a decree of the Obama era. However, Trump said he was closing the loopholes so that gang members and criminals would be inadmissible and would stop frivolous asylum applications.
"For the criminals already present, we will ensure their expeditious deportation," he said.
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Trump said the proposal would also require immigrants to be financially self-sufficient, learn English and pass a civic examination prior to admission.
"Through these steps, we will put in place an immigration system that strengthens our traditions, our culture and our values," he said.
Some conservatives might oppose this plan because it does not reduce overall immigration rates. Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates lower immigration levels, has termed this effort a "positive effort" but pointed to the failure of reducing levels of immigration legal.
"This plan represents a very positive immigration effort and includes important provisions such as limits on chain migration, the closing of loopholes for the flow of drugs and migrants to the southern border, and a crackdown on illegal immigration. overruns, "he said. declaration. "This is disturbing, E-Verify was not mentioned, but it is unlikely to become law, but rather a statement of the president's goals. does not even call for a modest reduction in total immigration, but the offsets diminish as the rise of "skill-based" immigration is very worrisome. "
But Trump said the plan would present a "clear contrast" with the Democrats' immigration plans.
"Democrats offer open borders, lower wages and, frankly, illegal chaos," he said. "We are proposing an immigration plan that prioritizes the jobs, wages, and safety of American workers."
"Our plan is pro-American, pro-immigrant and pro-worker," he said. "It's only common sense."
The Democrats rejected Trump's plan even before it was announced, indicating a dizzying ascent to Congress. The leader of the Senate minority, Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Said Thursday that the plan "is not a serious attempt at immigration reform".
"This recreates the same partisan and radical anti-immigrant policies that the administration has been putting in place for two years – all of which have struggled to win even a simple majority in the Senate, not to mention 60 votes," he said. he declared.
Trump seemed to recognize the challenge of gaining Democratic support in his Rose Garden remarks: "If for some reason, possibly political, we can not get the Democrats to endorse this merit-based high-security plan, then we will have it approved immediately after the elections, when we take the House back, keep the Senate and, of course, assume the presidency. "
Trump's immigration proposal comes as the administration struggles to solve the more pressing problem of illegal immigration on the southern border.
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The Customs and Border Protection Service has reported apprehending or refusing more than 109,000 migrants attempting to cross the border in April, exceeding 100,000.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., unveiled Wednesday a bill putting an end to asylum applications from Central America at the border and returning unaccompanied minors to their homeland. origin.
Gregg Re, Fox News, John Roberts and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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