Trump proposes immigration overhaul

President Donald Trump proposed a “merit system” that would overhaul the U.S. immigration process to favor high-skilled workers over family migration while also focusing on heightening border security and discouraging asylum claims. At a news conference Thursday in the White House Rose Garden, the president said his proposal would designate more money for “closing the gaps” in the U.S. southern border. He also said it would close loopholes to discourage frivolous asylum claims while fast-tracking legitimate ones. His plan would seek to “[attract] the best and brightest from all around the world,” Trump said. Fifty-seven percent of immigrants would be admitted based on employment and skill level, as opposed to the current proportion of 12 percent. The proposal would also push down family migration to 37 percent.

Trump acknowledged his plan will face skeptics on Capitol Hill, where both Democrat and Republican lawmakers have expressed concerns that the proposal does not address illegal immigrants already living in the United States. But the president warned that if Democrats don’t work with him, he will pass his plan in 2020, predicting that the Republican Party will win back control of the House and he will earn a second presidential term.

“Democrats are proposing open borders, lower wages, and, frankly, lawless chaos,” Trump said. “We are proposing an immigration plan that puts the jobs, wages, and safety of American workers first.”