The current U.S. immigration system favors uniting family
members with relatives already in the country. It was built on the premise
that any person, regardless of how much education or money they have, can come
to the United States and create a productive life for themselves.
However, President Trump is pushing forward with his promise
of a harder line on legal immigration, endorsing a proposal to slash the number
of immigrants admitted to the United States while favoring those with
certain education levels and skills.
White House staff have been
working closely with Cotton and Perdue for weeks on the legislation, which
would restrict how the U.S. admits immigrants and move to what Trump has
described as a "merit-based" system similar to that used in Australia
and Canada.
