More Misinformation from the Media:
The really disorienting thing about this proposal is that it abandoned the narrow ground of prior negotiations, which revolved around Dreamers and various forms of border security—in other words the plight of undocumented immigrants and how to prevent more of them from entering the country illegally. . . . The big departure was to shift “chain migration”—America’s policy of allowing extended family members of U.S. citizens to immigrate—and the diversity lottery to the center of discussion, as well as the proposal that even the levels of documented [legal] immigration needed to be lowered. . . . No one knows at this point if this is the devilish reasoning behind the White House proposal. – How Trump’s Immigration Proposal Could be Trouble for Democrats, New York, Ed Kilgore, 1/29/18.
Fact Check: This article misses the point of why the president has proposed to link amnesty and steps against illegal immigration with reduction of legal “chain migration.” The reasoning isn’t “devilish” at all.
Many people are willing to grant amnesty to some of the illegal aliens in the “Dreamer” category because when the came to America illegally it was not because of they chose to break our laws. Rather, they were brought in by their parents who made that decision. In some cases, they have little memory of their countries of origin and don’t speak the languages of those countries.
A common and proper argument against amnesty is that it rewards lawbreaking—ultimately with the prize of citizenship. But with the Dreamers there is some ambiguity because, once again, the lawbreaking wasn’t their decision.
The problem with any amnesty, however, is that it encourages more people to try their luck at breaking our laws. They may come and bring their young children, thus starting the whole cycle again. For this reason, new and firm controls against illegal immigration must be in place before an amnesty is granted. Doing this beforehand is crucial. With past amnesties increased enforcement was promised, but it never materialized due to the influence of open-border advocates.
The connection between the Dreamers and curtailing chain migration is that the latter permits legal residents and citizens to petition to bring in their relatives. It’s inappropriate to extend this right to amnestied Dreamers. Even if we wish to overlook their illegal entry, there is no reason why others should benefit from that entry. This is particularly the case with the parents and other relatives who brought them to the United States, people who were conscious lawbreakers.
A law that would prevent chain migration just for amnestied Dreamers probably would not stand up under judicial scrutiny. Therefore, the law must be changed for everyone.
Aside from the issue with the Dreamers, cutting chain migration is a good idea on its own merits. Chain migration largely drives our high level of immigration today. It consists of immigrants petitioning to bring in relatives, who bring in their relatives in an ongoing chain. This policy gives family connections a higher priority for admission than qualifications needed for the national interest, such as needed skills.
The Trump proposal is no mystery at all. It’s quite consistent in terms of its goals and objectives. In terms of what would be helpful to our country, it makes perfect sense.