Thread by @CIS_org

LIVE THREAD: President Trump is currently announcing his immigration plan.

"Democrats are proposing open borders, lower wages, and lawless chaos. We are proposing an immigration plan that puts the jobs, wages, and safety of American workers first. Our proposal is pro-American, pro-immigrant, and pro-worker." -@realDonaldTrump

"Our plan achieves two critical goals. First, it stops illegal immigration and secures the border. And second, it establishes a new legal immigration system that protects American wages, promotes American values, and attracts best and brightest." -@realDonaldTrump

Trump proposes a permanent and self-sustaining "border security trust fund", financed by fees generated by border crossings. That fund is intended to help reach a goal of 100% scanning rate at the ports, from only about 3% today.

Trump proposes fixes to our broken asylum system, which he says is being damaged by frivolous asylum claims. This includes closing the loopholes (e.g. Flores).

Note: For every 100 credible fear claimants, only about 13 are ultimately granted asylum:
cis.org/Arthur/One-Cha…

Trump notes that every year, we permanently admit 1.1 million immigrants--"the most prized citizenship anywhere in the world."

"Currently, 66% of legal immigrants come here...solely because they have a relative here."

Trump makes the case for more "high-skill" immigration, saying we need people from "the best colleges" across the world, and says we want to keep visiting students here.

Note: Americans drastically outperform foreign students with comparable degrees:

cis.org/Report/Foreign…

Trump says that only 12% of our legal immigrants come here based on skill, whereas in other countries it's as high as 75%. He sets a goal to increase it to 57%.

This is true, but it ignores the fact that we already grant >800,000 "temporary" employment visas annually.

Trump ties his plan to his First Step Act, and says that foreign workers are replacing Americans, including those released under his bill, seeking entry-level jobs.

However Trump did increase the H-2B visa, which is direct competition for those Americans: chicago.suntimes.com/2019/5/6/18621…

Trump says his plan makes "no change" to the total number of green cards, but simply shifts the mix from family-based migration to skills-based migration.

This is not in line with his base, who when polled express support for lower total immigration:
nationalreview.com/corner/reducin…

Trump proposes a new points-based visa called the "Build America Visa". Potential immigrants will receive more points for:

- Being younger
- Skills
- Employment offers
- Advanced education
- Higher wages
- Financial self-sufficiency
- Patriotic assimilation
- English knowledge

President Trump says shifting to "high-skill" immigration will shift the pressure off of working-class Americans.

Hear from the Americans working in STEM who were replaced by "high-skill" immigrants and forced to train their replacements:
cis.org/Report/Untold-…

Worryingly, President Trump did not mention E-Verify during his speech.

E-Verify is supported by at least 65% of voters:
numbersusa.com/blog/politicos…