# Trump backs plan that would curb legal immigration **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 2, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651 "2017-08-02T20:58:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/1 "2017-08-02T20:58:52Z")
[CNN report](http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/02/politics/trump-skills-immigration-plan-cotton-perdue/index.html) Trump is backing a plan that would reform the legal immigration system to use a merit based scoring. The eventual outcome is projected to cut the number of green cards issued in half. Key points: > [@](#): > > The proposal would then establish a grading system for new immigrants where the prospective green card holders would be judged on their median salary, advanced degrees, ability to speak English, skills needed by the economy and whether you are able to afford your own health care. > [@](#): > > The proposed bill would cut back on “chain migration,” ways of immigrating to the United States that are based on family or not based on skills. The bill would limit the types of family members of immigrants that can also be brought to the US to primarily spouses and minor children, would eliminate the international diversity visa lottery and limit the number of annual refugee admissions. So, my initial reaction is -If a related goal is to reduce illegal immigration, wouldn’t a consequence of these changes result in increased illegal immigration? As the folks who would have previously been allowed in legally are now prevented from coming in legally? And wouldn’t this shift the impact of immigration on the labor pool from lower paid blue collar / service jobs to more higher paid professional / white collar jobs? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/2 "2017-08-02T21:04:28Z")
His party talks about illegal immigration constantly, and hasn’t been effective at addressing (requires introspection and thought) the causes or the effects. As a result of this ineptitude, going after legal immigrants just puts a fine point on the Republicans’ general belief about those who “don’t look like me”. Sad ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/3 "2017-08-02T23:34:22Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > His party talks about illegal immigration constantly, and hasn’t been effective at addressing (requires introspection and thought) the causes or the effects. As a result of this ineptitude, going after legal immigrants just puts a fine point on the Republicans’ general belief about those who “don’t look like me”. Sad My sense is that most of the folks with advanced degrees and skills needed by the economy wanting to immigrate to the US do not “look like me”. They look mostly like [this guy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narendra_Modi) and [this guy.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping) ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/4 "2017-08-02T23:39:16Z")
I’m not talking about the people who want to come here. I’m talking about the morons that want to make it difficult. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/5 "2017-08-03T01:51:29Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I’m not talking about the people who want to come here. I’m talking about the morons that want to make it difficult. I can’t really speak for them, but I think they’d say that the goal is less about ‘make it difficult’ and more about ‘make sure that those who do come here can support themselves’. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/6 "2017-08-03T01:57:18Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I can’t really speak for them, but I think they’d say that the goal is less about ‘make it difficult’ and more about ‘make sure that those who do come here can support themselves’. What specific outstanding problem exactly is this supposed to fix? ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/7 "2017-08-03T01:59:49Z")
This is total crap. Just sounds like an expansion of the H1-B program. The goal of the H1-B sounds good, to bring in immigrants with specialized skills that are highly sought after. However, its real purpose is to hire cheap foreign labor to come to America so that businesses do not have to pay the higher salaries that American college grads demand, exacerbating the college debt problem. Make America great again, by paying foreigners half of what Americans would make in these professional jobs! ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/8 "2017-08-03T04:03:30Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > What specific outstanding problem exactly is this supposed to fix? Again, just speculating, but hopefully it would reduce the % of immigrants that end up dependent on welfare. At least, that seems to be one thrust of the administration’s argument: [QUOTE=the White House] [More than 50 percent of all immigrant households receive welfare benefits, compared to only 30 percent of native households in the United States that receive welfare benefits. Immigrants with a college education or higher are, on average, less likely to be welfare recipients than those without the same degree of education.]([https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/08/02/president-donald-j-trump-backs-raise-act](https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/08/02/president-donald-j-trump-backs-raise-act)) [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/9 "2017-08-03T05:49:05Z")
Is even a single claim in that press release true? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/10 "2017-08-03T06:31:32Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Is even a single claim in that press release true? I don’t know, let’s start with the two sentences I quoted. Are those true or false? ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/11 "2017-08-03T07:12:56Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > His party talks about illegal immigration constantly, and hasn’t been effective at addressing (requires introspection and thought) the causes or the effects. As a result of this ineptitude, going after legal immigrants just puts a fine point on the Republicans’ general belief about those who “don’t look like me”. Sad How do you figure that? Is your assertion true of every country that restricts immigration or has a border? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/12 "2017-08-03T07:24:12Z")
So they’re going to decrease the number of H-1B visas, which are already a nightmare to get and keep? Or decrease some other number of visas? This sounds like a great way to increase the number of _illegal_ immigrants, or to move certain companies’ hiring outside the USA, which are both things the fat cats are probably OK with. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/13 "2017-08-03T07:25:05Z")
No way this is going to fly. Still, we’re damned glad right now that the wife moved here and obtained her green card last year already. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/14 "2017-08-03T07:42:37Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I don’t know, let’s start with the two sentences I quoted. Are those true or false? Of course they’re true! I always trust unattributed statistics from the White House. I mean, it’s not like they’ve ever lied before… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/15 "2017-08-03T07:51:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Of course they’re true! I always trust unattributed statistics from the White House. > > I mean, it’s not like they’ve ever lied before… :rolleyes: Your post is snarky and sarcastic, and seems to suggest that you believe those two sentences are lies, but you appear to be avoiding saying it directly. Is it because you don’t have any evidence to support that position? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/16 "2017-08-03T08:00:41Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > No way this is going to fly. Still, we’re damned glad right now that the wife moved here and obtained her green card last year already. Wait until SCOTUS decides in Oct that Trump can cancel Green Cards for any reason. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/17 "2017-08-03T09:58:06Z")
So… would Trump’s wife (either 1st or 3rd) have qualified to emigrate under these rules? Are we that hard up for fashion models in this country? ---
**Author:** ![Banquet\_Bear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banquet_bear/32/373_2.png) [@Banquet\_Bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banquet_Bear)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/18 "2017-08-03T10:37:36Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Your post is snarky and sarcastic, and seems to suggest that you believe those two sentences are lies, but you appear to be avoiding saying it directly. Is it because you don’t have any evidence to support that position? […the fact check.](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/ap-fact-check-shaky-assumptions-trump-immigration-pitch-48998999) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/19 "2017-08-03T10:46:25Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > So… would Trump’s wife (either 1st or 3rd) have qualified to emigrate under these rules? Are we that hard up for fashion models in this country? Someone on Twitter just pointed out that the countries which would most benefit from the new rules would be India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, many of whom produce more engineering grads then they need and have English as an official language. Smoking Hot, statuesque Eastern European models, not so much. The Donald either wishes for a much more diverse and non white immigration pattern. Or he has not thought this through. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2017, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651/20 "2017-08-03T11:44:05Z")
If you assume that first generation immigrants use more public funds than non-immigrants, that does not make the economic case against immigration. Not in the slightest. It could be that the remaining % do very well. Second generation immigrants have very high rates of entrepreneurship. What if they more than “make up” for their parents? Also, fuck these people. I can’t imagine the shit storm if, in the same day, Obama called the White House a dump and then Jon Favreau said the Statue of Liberty didn’t matter. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-backs-plan-that-would-curb-legal-immigration/792651.md?page=2)