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What’s in the latest Republican anti-immigration legislation?

Posted on Aug 03 2017

Photo by MrT HK, used under Creative Commons license

Though it has little chance of passing, the Raise Act sponsored by two Republican senators and endorsed by the president has already raised the level of fear and confusion over immigration in the United States. Its provisions privilege English-speaking immigrants at the expense of family reunion visas and refugees. Overall, legal immigration would be cut in half. Refugee admissions would be permanently reduced to 50,000 per year. Except for spouses and minor children, family-related visas would be abolished. The diversity visa program would be abolished.

Touted as “merit-based,” the Raise Act defines merit based on a point system. Prospective immigrants would get points for:

  • Age – best age? Prospective immigrants get 10 points for being 26-31 years old. Worst age? Immigrants over 51 get zero points for age.
  • Education – generally, more education gets you more points. A U.S. bachelor’s degree counts for more than a foreign bachelor’s degree, and advanced STEM degrees pile on even more points. Advanced degrees in the humanities or in social sciences or law: zero points.
  • Speaking English – higher proficiency scores mean more points.
  • Extraordinary achievement – science awards count for more than Olympic medals, but both count for a lot. Nobel Peace Prize? Nobel Prize for literature? Sorry – no points for those.
  • Job offering – in general, higher salaries mean more points, but you don’t get any points unless you have a college degree.
  • Investment in a new commercial enterprise – Got millions? You get six points for agreeing to invest $1.35 million and twelve points for $1.8 million.

The title of the legislation, “Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act,” signals its exclusive focus on money as the measure of everything. One of the final sections of the proposed legislation calls for a report in four years to recommend revisions for the purposes of

“(A) increasing per capita growth in the gross domestic product of the United States;

“(B) enhancing prospects for the economic success of immigrants issued points-based immigrant visas;

“(C) improving the fiscal health of the United States; and

“(D) protecting or increasing the wages of working Americans.”

As the Los Angeles Times points out, this is a stark contrast to the current system, which “favors uniting family members with relatives already in the country and was built on the premise that any person, regardless of what language they speak, how much education or money they have, can seek to come to the United States.”

Businesses and farms that rely on immigrant workers are speaking out against this legislation. The Raise Act seems unlikely to pass, since many Republicans in Congress, as well as Democrats, already oppose it.

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