In an announcement on Thursday, May 16, 2019, President Trump
unveiled an outline of his new legislative plan to modernize the
nation's immigration framework, promising to "establish[]
a new legal immigration system that protects American wages,
promotes American values, and attracts the best and brightest from
all around the world."1 In introducing the plan,
President Trump announced, "[w]e are proposing an immigration
plan that puts the jobs, wages, and safety of American workers
first."2
In addition to emphasizing border security, the new plan
proposes overhauling the current system for legal permanent
immigration, "replacing existing green card categories with a
new visa, the Build America visa."3 While leaving
the net level of annual lawful permanent residence grants
unchanged, the proposed framework would prioritize
"high-skilled" workers, expanding grants of
employment-based immigrant petitions and likely reducing or
eliminating immigrant visas awarded to
