On Wednesday, August 2, 2017, President Trump endorsed a new bill in the Senate aimed at slashing legal immigration levels, the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act. This bill is a modified version of a bill senators Tom Cotton (Ark.) and David Perdue (Ga.) first introduced in April to cut immigration by half from the current level of more than 1 million green cards per year. To achieve this reduction and create what they call a “merit-based system,” Cotton and Perdue are taking aim at green cards for extended family members of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents, limiting such avenues for grown children and siblings. Minor children and spouses would still be eligible to apply for green cards.
The highlights of the Senators’ bill propose to end the visa diversity lottery that awards 50,000 green cards a year, to areas in the world that traditionally do not have as many immigrants to the United States. The bill also caps refugee levels at 50,000 per year. Under the bill, the proposed immigration system would award points to green card applicants based on such factors as English ability, education levels and job skills. The senators said the proposal is modeled after immigration programs in Canada and Australia.
However, the bill’s prospects are dim in the Senate where Republicans hold a narrow majority. The legislation is expected to face fierce resistance from congressional Democrats, immigrant rights groups and business leaders, as well as, some moderate Republicans in states with large immigrant populations. Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy analyst at the CATO Institute, wrote in a blog that the bill “would do nothing to boost skilled immigration and it will only increase the proportion of employment-based green cards by cutting other green cards. Saying otherwise is grossly deceptive marketing.”