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ARTICLE · 06 JUNE 2019

President Trump Announces Plan For Immigration Reform

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On May 16, 2019, President Trump announced broad parameters of an immigration plan to address border security, interior enforcement, asylum policy

United StatesImmigration
Casey C. Higgins
Casey C. Higgins
Maka Y. Hutson
Maka Y. Hutson
Ed Pagano
Ed Pagano
Lamar Smith
Lamar Smith
Hans Rickhoff
Hans Rickhoff
Lars-Erik Hjelm
Lars-Erik Hjelm
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Key Points

  • On May 16, 2019, President Trump announced broad parameters of an immigration plan to address border security, interior enforcement, asylum policy, modernization of ports of entry and the current immigrant visa or "green card" system.
  • The White House announced that the goal of the plan is to (1) fully secure our borders; (2) protect American wages; (3) attract and retain the best and brightest talent; (4) prioritize immediate families; (5) strengthen our workforce in critical industries and (6) preserve our humanitarian values.

Plan Outline

In an effort to shift toward a "merit-based" green card system, the plan allocates 57 percent of green cards based on employment and skill, 33 percent to family-based recipients and 10 percent to humanitarian recipients. Under the current immigration system, approximately two-thirds of green cards are based on family ties, and only 12 percent are issued to employment-based applicants.

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