Trump shows immigration system plan

WASHINGTON» President Donald Trump unveiled a new immigration plan Thursday to move U.S. immigration toward a “meritbased system” that prioritizes highly skilled workers over those with family already in the country.

The plan, which does not address the fate of young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, stands little chance of advancing in Congress, where lawmakers of both parties have greeted it with skepticism.

“Today we are presenting a clear contrast,” Trump said in a speech at the White House’s Rose Garden. “Democrats are proposing open borders, lower wages and, frankly, lawless chaos. We are proposing an immigration plan that puts the jobs, wages and safety of American workers first. Our proposal is pro-American, pro-immigrant and pro-worker. It’s just common sense.”

Providing protections from deportations for such young immigrants, known as “Dreamers,” has been a leading priority for Democrats since Trump sought to end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

But White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said earlier Thursday that the plan does not include those protections because the issue is too divisive.

“Every single time we have put forward or anyone else has put forward any type of immigration plan and it’s included DACA, it’s failed. It’s a divisive thing,” Sanders told reporters at the White House, adding that the issue was “left out on purpose.”

Trump said in his Rose Garden remarks that the plan would not change the number of green cards allocated each year but would prioritize highly skilled workers over those with family already in the country.