Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Trump backs bill to cut legal immigrants

- By Ken Thomas and Jill Colvin

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump embraced legislatio­n Wednesday that would dramatical­ly reduce legal immigratio­n and shift the nation toward a system that prioritize­s merit and skills over • family ties.

Mr. Trump joined with Republican Sens. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas to promote the bill, which has so far gained little traction in the Senate.

“This legislatio­n demonstrat­es our compassion for struggling American families who deserve an immigratio­n system that puts their needs first and puts America first,” Mr. Trump said at the White House.

It was the latest example of the president championin­g an issue that animated the core voters of his campaign, after decisions to pull out of the Paris climate deal and ban transgende­r people from the military.

Mr. Perdue and Mr. Cotton’s legislatio­n would replace the current process for obtaining legal permanent residency, or green cards, creating a skillsbase­d system for employment visas. The bill would eliminate the preference for U.S. residents’ extended and adult family members, while maintainin­g priority for spouses and minor children.

Overall, immigratio­n would be slashed 41 percent in the legislatio­n’s first year and 50 percent in its 10th, according to projection models cited by the bill’s sponsors. The bill would also aim to slash the number of refugees in half and eliminate a program that provides visas to people from countries with low rates of immigratio­n.

The president has made cracking down on illegal immigratio­n a hallmark of his administra­tion and has tried to slash federal grants for cities that refuse to comply with federal efforts to detain and deport those living in the country illegally. But he has also vowed to make changes to the legal immigratio­n system, arguing that immigrants compete with Americans for much-needed jobs and drive wages down.

Most economists dispute the president’s argument, noting that immigratio­n in recent decades doesn’t appear to have meaningful­ly hurt wages in the long run. Increased immigratio­n is also associated with faster growth because the country is adding workers, so restrictin­g the number of immigrants could slow the economy’s potential to expand.

The bill’s supporters, meanwhile, say it would make the U.S. more competitiv­e, raise wages and create jobs.

The Senate has largely ignored a previous version of the measure, with no other lawmaker signing on as a co-sponsor.

 ?? Evan Vucci/Associated Press ?? President Donald Trump, flanked by Sen. Tom Cotton, R- Ark., left, and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., speaks at the White House on Wednesday.
Evan Vucci/Associated Press President Donald Trump, flanked by Sen. Tom Cotton, R- Ark., left, and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., speaks at the White House on Wednesday.

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