President Donald Trump made the case for his immigration rules during his speech in Congress on February 28th.
“I am going to bring back millions of jobs. Protecting our workers also means reforming our system of legal immigration. The current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers, and puts great pressure on taxpayers.
“Nations around the world, like Canada, Australia and many others—have a merit-based immigration system. It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially. Yet, in America, we do not enforce this rule, straining the very public resources that our poorest citizens rely upon. According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America’s taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.
Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits: it will save countless dollars, raise workers’ wages, and help struggling families—including immigrant families—enter the middle class.”
President Donald Trump told Congress he is open to immigration reform, shifting from his harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration.
Comprehensive immigration reform eluded his two predecessors, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican George W. Bush.
Trump said reform would raise wages and help more struggling families enter the middle class.
