No bill or legislation has been introduced by the Trump administration and no legislation has been signed into law. All you have heard is a whole lot of talk on immigration. The one page outline introduced by the Trump administration proposed a long path to citizenship for 1.8 million DACA (or young immigrants who entered the U.S. before age 15) in exchange for a massive border package, cut to chain migration, and complete elimination of the diversity visa. The language in this one page outline is very vague and gives very few details.
Border Wall
The one page outline proposes massive increases in enforcement dollars including a $25 billion “trust fund” for a “border wall system,” as well as additional funds for the Department of Homeland Security’s other enforcement activities. The bill would also expand the use of a fast-track deportation process, known as expedited removal, to remove those who overstay their visas.
Visa Lottery
Secondly, the framework criticizes and eliminates the diversity visa lottery program, claiming it is a program “riddled with fraud and abuse and does not serve the national interest.” Although the framework states that it would reallocate those visas to reduce the lengthy backlogs in the family-based and high-skilled employment-based categories, it is unclear how exactly it would be done.
End Chain Migration (aka Family Immigration)
The framework also proposes drastic cuts to legal immigration, in what could be a 50 percent decrease in green cards issued annually. These cuts to legal immigration are accomplished in two ways. First, it redefines the nuclear family by only allowing U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor only their spouse and minor children, ending the visa categories that allow them to reunite with adult children, siblings, and parents.
In other words, U.S. Citizens and lawful permanent residents would no longer be able to file an immigration petition for brother/sister, adult children (over age 21) or parents under Trump immigration framework.
The issue really comes down to is restricting immigration. Immigration restrictionists want to see lower total numbers of immigrants coming in to the U.S. – even if that means targeting legal immigration vehicles like the family visa programs. Currently, family-sponsored immigration tools account for 65% of new legal immigrants to the U.S. every year, so restricting use of the tool would dramatically reduce immigration numbers.
The reality is that 2018 is a mid-term election year and Republicans will NOT be on-board to grant 1.8 million DACA immigrants legal status even if it means cutting chain migration (family immigration). Again, immigration is FEDERAL LAW and laws start out as proposed bills that get introduced into Congress and must pass by majority vote and then get signed into law by a President. None of the above has happened – no bill, no legislation, no voting, no signing.
For more information on Trump immigration framework,
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