Feb 7, 2017 - Politics & Policy
Republicans target legal immigration
- Alayna Treene, author of Axios Sneak Peek
Alex Brandon / AP
Sen. Tom Cotton and Georgia Sen. David Perdue have started taking steps to crack down on legal immigration, a focus shared by the Trump administration, per Politico. They'll formally propose legislation on the matter as soon as today. The details:
- Eliminates multiple avenues for U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor family members for green cards.
- Gets rid of the diversity visa lottery, which allots 50k visas per year for citizens of countries with low levels of immigration to the U.S.
- Restricts the number of refugees allowed into the country to 50k annually — similar to rates outlined in Trump's travel ban.
- If approved, the number of legal immigrants allowed into the U.S. under the bill would plummet by 40% in the first year and by 50% over the next 10 years, according to Cotton's aides.