President Donald Trump has announced plans for a radical overhaul of the US immigration system, prioritising younger, better-educated, English-speaking workers. In a speech at the White House, he proposed moving away from the current family-based system towards a 'merit-based' model, with the proportion of highly skilled immigrants rising from 12% to 57%.
The plan includes stricter border security and a tougher approach to asylum seekers, whom Mr Trump accused of lodging frivolous claims. He also insisted that immigrants would be required to learn English and pass a civics exam before admission. However, the proposals do not offer a pathway to citizenship for 'Dreamers' – undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children.
The reforms face significant opposition in Congress, where Democrats control the House of Representatives. Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the plan as 'dead on arrival', while Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal criticised the lack of protections for Dreamers and the 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country.
Analysts suggest the announcement is designed to unify Republicans ahead of the 2020 presidential and congressional elections. Mr Trump himself indicated that if Democrats block the plan, he would seek approval after the election, saying, 'We will get it approved immediately after the election when we take back the House, keep the Senate, and, of course, hold the presidency.'
Business groups are expected to be unenthusiastic, as the plan does not address the need for temporary workers in farming and other seasonal industries. Conservative commentators also criticised the proposals, with Ann Coulter tweeting that they were 'a campaign document, not even a serious bill'. The plan is unlikely to pass Congress but signals the president's continued hardline stance on immigration.
