Trump, Republican senators present bill to reform legal immigration

President Donald Trump and two Republican senators presented new legislation to shift legal immigration into the United States from a system favoring family reunification to one based on skills and merit.

"As a candidate, I campaigned on creating a merit-based immigration system that protects U.S. workers and taxpayers. And that is why we are here today, merit-based," Trump said Aug. 2.

The bill, called the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act, seeks to:

• Create a skills-based points system to evaluate admission to the United States. Points would be awarded based on education, ability to speak English, offers for high-paying jobs, age, "record of extraordinary achievement, and entrepreneurial initiative;"

• Keep family reunification for spouses and minor children, but eliminate preference for extended family and grown adult family members of U.S. residents. A renewable temporary visa would be available for elderly parents of U.S. citizens;

• Get rid of the Diversity Visa Lottery. The lottery allocates a limited number of visas each fiscal year to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States, and;

• Cap at 50,000 per year the number of refugees offered permanent residency. (Trump's Jan. 27 executive order limited refugee admissions to 50,000 in fiscal year 2017. The president, after consultation with Congress, determines the annual number of refugees admitted per year.)

The proposed bill from Republican Sens.Tom Cotton, R-Ark. and David Perdue, R-Ga., is an updated version of a similar bill they introduced in February.

"Crucially, the green card reforms in the RAISE Act will give American workers a pay raise by reducing unskilled immigration," Trump said.

The senators argued the current immigration system is outdated and does not work for the American people. "It keeps America from being competitive and it does not meet the needs of our economy today," Perdue said.

Trump won the presidential election on promises to reform and enforce immigration laws. His public support for the senators' bill is in line with his pledge to limit legal immigration. Until the bill or similar legislation becomes law, we continue to rate this promise In the Works.