Two Republican senators seek to slash legal U.S. immigration

[webfact]

Two Republican senators seek to slash legal U.S. immigration

By Patricia Zengerle

REUTERS

 

U.S. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) (L) and Senator David Perdue (R-GA) (R) unveil legislation aimed at curbing legal immigration by halving the number of legal immigrants admitted into the United States, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. February 7, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two Republican senators proposed steps to slash the number of legal immigrants admitted into the United States by half on Tuesday, but the legislation, developed with the Trump administration, faces an uphill climb to get through Congress.

 

Senators Tom Cotton and David Perdue said their bill would cut the number of immigrants granted U.S. residency each year to 500,000 from 1 million, through measures including cutting far back on which relatives can be brought into the country and eliminating a diversity visa lottery.

 

The legislation does not address visas specifically tied to employment, such as the H-1B visas for skilled workers used by many technology companies.

 

Cotton and Perdue said they had consulted Republican President Donald Trump, who vowed to crack down on both illegal and legal immigration during his campaign for the White House.

 

Cotton said he had spoken to Trump about the bill by telephone as recently as Tuesday morning.

 

The measure faces stiff opposition in Congress. Although Trump's fellow Republicans control majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives, several back comprehensive immigration reform, not a tough crackdown.

 

Republican Senator John McCain said he disagreed with the bill. A long-time advocate for immigration reform, McCain praised the contribution of immigrants to the United States.

 

"We need more Sergey Brins and people like that who were born outside of this country and came here, received an education and made enormous progress for all mankind," McCain told reporters, referring to the Google co-founder, who came to the United States as a refugee from Russia.

 

NEW RULES FOR FAMILIES

 

Any measure also would need Democratic support to advance in the Senate, and Democrats, who cite studies showing that immigrants boost the U.S. economy, are strongly opposed.

 

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen called it "wrong and senseless" to separate families and cut successful visa programs.

 

Perdue and Cotton acknowledged the bill would not come up any time soon, saying they hoped for a Senate vote this year.

 

Senator John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said Congress first needed to address border security, but said the new measure "will be a helpful constructive proposal."

 

The bill would admit only immediate family members of immigrants, eliminating preferences for adult siblings or adult children. Cotton said it would exclude parents unless they were sick and the family promised not to rely on public benefits.

 

The proposal came amid a larger immigration fight over Trump's travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries and refugees.

 

Cotton said his goal was to stop competition that lowers wages for workers without high school or college degrees. "Unless we reverse this trend, we are going to create a near-permanent underclass for whom the American dream is always just out of reach," he said.

 

Asked if the White House would support the legislation and whether it was working with the senators, a spokesman said, "We are reviewing it."

 

U.S. companies often argue in favour of immigration. More than 100 filed a legal brief opposing Trump's travel ban.

 

(Reporting by Susan Heavey, Ayesha Rascoe, Patricia Zengerle and David Morgan; writing by Patricia Zengerle; editing by Frances Kerry and Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-08

[Emster23]

Too bad these clowns weren't around pre 1800. I doubt if African slaves coming to America's fair shores had visas.

[Srikcir]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

slash the number of legal immigrants admitted into the United States by half

Must not allow new immigrants to become Independent or Democrat voters for the 2018 mid-term congressional elections!

Cannot imagine a Trump administration surviving without Republican control of Congress.

[sabaii69]

3 hours ago, Emster23 said:

Too bad these clowns weren't around pre 1800. I doubt if African slaves coming to America's fair shores had visas.

They got jobs and food.

[SaintLouisBlues]

11 minutes ago, sabaii69 said:

Amerca should stop eurotrash from coming. That would really be an improvement.

They should have started around 1620

[sabaii69]

6 minutes ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

They should have started around 1620

Yeah, I know who is again bashing Americans but you are extremely ignorant. The slave ships were mainly BRITISH including a very notable ship 'the Brooks'. The horrible conditions put on the slaves by British crews/ships caused the cessation of slaving to America and other places (Jamaica, the British Caribbean colonies, etc). Britain ceased slaving on paper in 1800. Slaving exists today.

Would you like some cheese with that whine, mate?

[SaintLouisBlues]

16 minutes ago, sabaii69 said:

Yeah, I know who is again bashing Americans but you are extremely ignorant. The slave ships were mainly BRITISH including a very notable ship 'the Brooks'. The horrible conditions put on the slaves by British crews/ships caused the cessation of slaving to America and other places (Jamaica, the British Caribbean colonies, etc). Britain ceased slaving on paper in 1800. Slaving exists today.

Would you like some cheese with that whine, mate?

You do know I'm an American myself, right?

[elgordo38]

5 hours ago, Emster23 said:

Too bad these clowns weren't around pre 1800. I doubt if African slaves coming to America's fair shores had visas.

Captive audience. 

[Emster23]

3 hours ago, sabaii69 said:

Yeah, I know who is again bashing Americans but you are extremely ignorant. The slave ships were mainly BRITISH including a very notable ship 'the Brooks'. The horrible conditions put on the slaves by British crews/ships caused the cessation of slaving to America and other places (Jamaica, the British Caribbean colonies, etc). Britain ceased slaving on paper in 1800. Slaving exists today.

Would you like some cheese with that whine, mate?

The "Americans" were British at the time, in case you missed that. Didn't have revolution until 1776. You could look it up. Mercantile acts while you are at it. I'm from USA, also

[IAMHERE]

The 1965 Immigration Act successfully favors non-european immigrants. The non-euros make mostly democratic voters. It won't ever be  white nation again. Get used to it.

[John1012]

4 hours ago, sabaii69 said:

Yeah, I know who is again bashing Americans but you are extremely ignorant. The slave ships were mainly BRITISH including a very notable ship 'the Brooks'. The horrible conditions put on the slaves by British crews/ships caused the cessation of slaving to America and other places (Jamaica, the British Caribbean colonies, etc). Britain ceased slaving on paper in 1800. Slaving exists today.

Would you like some cheese with that whine, mate?

Slaving does exist, Islam practices slavery in North Africa, has done so for 1400+ years.

[lungmi]

Trump had Immigration Permit by Dakota Sioux?

[ilostmypassword]

5 hours ago, John1012 said:

Slaving does exist, Islam practices slavery in North Africa, has done so for 1400+ years.

"Islam practices slavery in North Africa."  Really, it's Islam doing the practicing? What about Indonesia or Pakistan or Iran or most of the Islamic world.  Why blame Islam for it?

[ilostmypassword]

6 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

The 1965 Immigration Act successfully favors non-european immigrants. The non-euros make mostly democratic voters. It won't ever be  white nation again. Get used to it.

The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, whose 50th anniversary comes on October 3, officially committed the United States, for the first time, to accepting immigrants of all nationalities on a roughly equal basis. The law eliminated the use of national-origin quotas, under which the overwhelming majority of immigrant visas were set aside for people coming from northern and western Europe.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/10/immigration-act-1965/408409/

[Grouse]

10 hours ago, sabaii69 said:

Amerca should stop eurotrash from coming. That would really be an improvement.

"Eurotrash"?

 

Please explain?

[SaintLouisBlues]

12 hours ago, Grouse said:

"Eurotrash"?

 

Please explain?

Christians

[Grouse]

33 minutes ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

Christians

OK, that's alright then.

 

I'm a jehovah's bystander - an aetheist.

Edited February 9, 2017 by Grouse

[otherstuff1957]

This actually has wider implications than just whether or not you support Trump.  This anti-immigrant bias will affect all visas, not just ones from Muslim countries. 

 

If you are from the US and want to take your Thai wife home to visit or live, better act fast before these xenophobic clowns slam the door!

[thisisnotmyrealname]

why stop there...

 

The sooner they isolate themselves from the rest of the world, stop exporting there unwanted views and imposing their values on others , the better.

 

If any country is in denial about its wrong doings, this is surely one of them.

 

[pegman]

23 hours ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

They should have started around 1620

My family started coming over in 1630 so that would leave us out. But then after 150 years the domestic terrorists took over and we had to head north anyway.

[funandsuninbangkok]

22 minutes ago, otherstuff1957 said:

This actually has wider implications than just whether or not you support Trump.  This anti-immigrant bias will affect all visas, not just ones from Muslim countries. 

 

If you are from the US and want to take your Thai wife home to visit or live, better act fast before these xenophobic clowns slam the door!

Wrong 

 

spouces of US citizens will be top priority. Just can no longer bring in parents, grand parents or idiot in laws. 

 

Bill will pass by landslide. 

Edited February 9, 2017 by funandsuninbangkok

[simple1]

On 08/02/2017 at 8:29 PM, John1012 said:

Slaving does exist, Islam practices slavery in North Africa, has done so for 1400+ years.

Sure, but which non majority Islamic counties have a large number of slaves who are in the top ten worldwide....

 

Thailand

Congo

India

Russia

China

 

http://247wallst.com/special-report/2014/11/20/countries-with-the-most-slaves/

 

A comparatively very small number also in the USA, an estimated 60,000

[Chicog]

On 2/8/2017 at 7:11 PM, ilostmypassword said:

"Islam practices slavery in North Africa."  Really, it's Islam doing the practicing? What about Indonesia or Pakistan or Iran or most of the Islamic world.  Why blame Islam for it?

Doesn't Thailand's use of hijacked Burmese labourers constitute "slavery"?

[ilostmypassword]

Just now, Chicog said:

Doesn't Thailand's use of hijacked Burmese labourers constitute "slavery"?

And allegedly they managed to do it without being Muslims. Is that even possible?

[funandsuninbangkok]

1 hour ago, kiwiaussie said:

You sound like the anti immigrant brits here on TV who were cheering a crackdown on non-EU immigrants.

 

Next thing they find out that there is an income threshold for them to bring their teeraks back to blighty barring themselves from ever moving home. 

 

Careful what you wish for. You just might get it. 

In what way do I sound more British than American?

 

you sound like you married unwisely and are stuck swatting flys in a rice field.