WEBVTT - Trump Backs Controversial Immigration Bill (Audio)

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<v Speaker 1>President Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a

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<v Speaker 1>hallmark of his administration. Now he's turning his attention to

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<v Speaker 1>legal immigration, putting his support behind legislation that would dramatically

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<v Speaker 1>cut legal immigration levels over the next decade and evaluate

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<v Speaker 1>visa applications on a points based merit system. This competitive

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<v Speaker 1>application process will favor applicants who can speak English, financially

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<v Speaker 1>support themselves and their families, and demonstrate skills that will

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<v Speaker 1>contribute to our economy. The bill was introduced by Republican

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<v Speaker 1>Senators David Purdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas

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<v Speaker 1>in February, but has gained little traction in the Senate.

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<v Speaker 1>Both Democrats and Republicans criticized it Yesterday. Republican Senator Lindsey

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<v Speaker 1>Graham of South Carolina said agriculture and tourism are the

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<v Speaker 1>top two industries in his state and rely on immigrants.

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<v Speaker 1>You just don't want every Green card holder to be

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<v Speaker 1>a computer engineer, because the the economy of America is

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<v Speaker 1>more than just computer and hot tay. The US Chamber

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<v Speaker 1>of Commerce is cutting legal immigration by half, as this

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<v Speaker 1>bill would do in about ten years, would do serious

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<v Speaker 1>damage to the economy. Joining me are Kevin Appleby, Senior

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<v Speaker 1>director of International Migration Policy at the Center for Migration Studies,

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<v Speaker 1>and David Beer, immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute.

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<v Speaker 1>Kevin explained the changes to the immigration system that this

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<v Speaker 1>bill would enact well as was mentioned in the prologue there,

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<v Speaker 1>it would cut legal immigration or green card levels by

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<v Speaker 1>at least half, if not more, would would severely impact

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<v Speaker 1>of family units of family immigration as well as employment

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<v Speaker 1>um and would undercut, certainly undercut our economy growing going forward.

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<v Speaker 1>It also would reduce refugee admissions to fifty thousand, leaving

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<v Speaker 1>tens of thousands over the next several years in danger.

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<v Speaker 1>And it also eliminates a program called the Diversity Visa

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<v Speaker 1>Lottery program which is enacted in and it would allow

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<v Speaker 1>our immigrant population to be more diverse from countries that

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<v Speaker 1>otherwise wouldn't have that opportunity, David, do we heard Senator

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<v Speaker 1>Graham and immigration advocance also who criticized the proposal, saying

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<v Speaker 1>that slashing legal immigration would hurt industries such as agriculture

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<v Speaker 1>and harm the economy because it would result in labor

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<v Speaker 1>shortages in lower wage jobs that Americans generally don't want.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you agree with that. Yeah, absolutely, you think it's

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<v Speaker 1>just completely ignorant to believe that all the jobs in

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<v Speaker 1>the economy are going to be college educated, college degree

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<v Speaker 1>holding tight positions. If you get rid of all of

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<v Speaker 1>the uh maids and get of all the people working

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<v Speaker 1>in the back of the restaurant, someone's going to have

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<v Speaker 1>to fill those positions, and you're gonna be really downgrading

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<v Speaker 1>America's workforce. You're gonna start forcing Americans out of you know,

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<v Speaker 1>managerial positions and force them to the back of the restaurant,

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<v Speaker 1>require them to be the dishwasher. You're going to require

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<v Speaker 1>them to be the cook instead of the guy who's

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<v Speaker 1>running the business. And so really, the the motivation behind

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<v Speaker 1>having a system in which all immigrants are college degree

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<v Speaker 1>holders is really misplaced once you start thinking about how

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<v Speaker 1>it would actually play out in the real economy. Kevin,

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<v Speaker 1>can I can I quick just just tow two other

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<v Speaker 1>trends that really make this the wrong direction. Our population

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<v Speaker 1>is aging, and the number of US citizens will be

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<v Speaker 1>at retirement age will double untill over eighties seven million

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<v Speaker 1>by twenties six. And at the same time, our replacement

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<v Speaker 1>level we're barely at replacement level in terms of fertility rates.

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<v Speaker 1>So in terms of US citizen population, we're going to

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<v Speaker 1>see a gap moving forward, and that will leave a

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<v Speaker 1>big gap in the workforce as well. And I'll ask

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<v Speaker 1>this first of you, Kevin, is there any evidence to

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<v Speaker 1>support the idea that this is going to help the economy.

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<v Speaker 1>When Stephen Miller, the White House aid was asked this

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<v Speaker 1>yesterday his he had no response. Well, I mean, there

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<v Speaker 1>are a couple of studies that have been produced by

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<v Speaker 1>those who wrote this legislation, restrictionist groups like uh Fair

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<v Speaker 1>in Numbers USA who draw that conclusion, but more reputable

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<v Speaker 1>sources such as the National Academy of Sciences and even

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<v Speaker 1>the Cato Institute have found it then migrants complement the

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<v Speaker 1>US workforce and helped produce jobs immigrant workers over time,

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<v Speaker 1>and don't take jobs away for the vast majority of

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<v Speaker 1>US US citizens. So to say that it's really it's

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<v Speaker 1>it's based on the whole bill is really based on

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<v Speaker 1>a faulty premise, because that's really not the case. I've

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<v Speaker 1>been talking with Kevin Appleby, senior director of International Migration

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<v Speaker 1>Policy at the Center for Migration Studies, and David Beer,

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<v Speaker 1>immigration policy analysts at the Cato Institute, about the immigration

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<v Speaker 1>bill that President Trump is supporting. It was introduced originally

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<v Speaker 1>by two Republican senators in February, and this bill would

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<v Speaker 1>award points. It's a merit based system, award points based

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<v Speaker 1>on education, ability to speak English, high paying job offers, age,

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<v Speaker 1>record of achievement, and entrepreneurial initiative. David, it sounds so

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<v Speaker 1>fluid and unstructured, sort of like being graded in school.

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<v Speaker 1>You never know how the teacher is going to go.

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<v Speaker 1>How would like the record of achievement be measured? And

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<v Speaker 1>suppose you have an immigration officer grades on a curve. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>it's a really strange system. And um, it really should

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<v Speaker 1>be first stated that the bill does not increased skilled

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<v Speaker 1>immigration at all. There are no more visas in this bill,

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<v Speaker 1>uh for people coming to work in the United States

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<v Speaker 1>than under current laws. So it's just wrong to characterize

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<v Speaker 1>this bill as being a prioritization of skilled people. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>It just create a new way to select them, and

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<v Speaker 1>that way is very strange. So you know, for example, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>simply being aged six is worth nearly twice as much

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<v Speaker 1>as being an entrepreneur who invests one point for a

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<v Speaker 1>million dollars in their US business. Um. So the calculation

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<v Speaker 1>that they're trying to do here really doesn't accord with

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<v Speaker 1>what we would consider merit in a purely economic sense

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<v Speaker 1>of the word. And I was mentioned a Pew Research Center.

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<v Speaker 1>It said that in immigrants who arrived in the past

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<v Speaker 1>five years held a college degree that's much higher than

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<v Speaker 1>the of non immigrants in the US, and eighteen percent

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<v Speaker 1>held an advanced degree, also much higher than the US average. So, Kevin,

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<v Speaker 1>what is the point of this system, this bill? Um,

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<v Speaker 1>It's it's really unclear. Um. The President mentioned Canada and Australia. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>we're not Canada last time I checked the map, and

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<v Speaker 1>we're certainly not Australia. And he's trying to put their

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<v Speaker 1>system and impose it on an economy that's one of

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<v Speaker 1>the largest economy in the world and the most diverse

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<v Speaker 1>economy in the world, where you can't just have one

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<v Speaker 1>size sets all. So it's really a head scratcher in

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of ways. I think, frankly, it's driven by ideology, um,

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<v Speaker 1>by some in the administration who basically want to limit

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<v Speaker 1>the number of immigrants that come here and want to

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<v Speaker 1>limit the type of immigrants that want to come here.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that's really what's behind this legislation. Well, yesterday

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<v Speaker 1>President Trump also said they're not going to come in

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<v Speaker 1>and immediately go and collect welfare. But under a welfare

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<v Speaker 1>reform bill signed by Bill Clinton, legal immigrants are already

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<v Speaker 1>barred from receiving government benefits for five years or longer. David,

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<v Speaker 1>what happens to For example, the Trump organization has asked

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<v Speaker 1>for dozens of H two B visas for foreign workers

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<v Speaker 1>at two of Trump's private clubs in Florida, including Themorrow

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<v Speaker 1>Lago Resort. What about those kinds of visas that are

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<v Speaker 1>they affected by this? No, this really only deals with

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<v Speaker 1>people who are coming to the country permanently for permanent residencies,

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<v Speaker 1>So it doesn't affect those guest worker visas that the

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<v Speaker 1>Trump organization has used in the past, and Trump, to

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<v Speaker 1>his credit, actually defended his use of those visas UH

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<v Speaker 1>during his campaign during a primary debate. In fact, so Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>he understands that the economy does need immigrants, but perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>he only understands it on behalf of his individual businesses

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<v Speaker 1>rather than taking overall of you of the economy and

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<v Speaker 1>understanding that other businesses would also have needs for more

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<v Speaker 1>longer term UH positions. Um Kevin, what is going to

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<v Speaker 1>happen in for example, there was a lot of other

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<v Speaker 1>there are a lot of other priorities for the president

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<v Speaker 1>and Congress. Is this Does this bill have any chance

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<v Speaker 1>of going forward? Well, any bill that's in Congress has

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<v Speaker 1>some percentage of chance, but um, and you have to

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<v Speaker 1>always prepare that a bill like this could move either

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<v Speaker 1>on a opriations bill or there may be momentum towards

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<v Speaker 1>some sort of immigration package which includes, for example, the

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<v Speaker 1>Dream Act. And of course the administration and the sponsors

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<v Speaker 1>would insist on some of the provisions of this bill.

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<v Speaker 1>But as you said, there's a full plate in Congress.

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<v Speaker 1>There's not a big appetite for immigration reform right now,

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<v Speaker 1>so and they've got big budget issues, so I think,

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<v Speaker 1>you know they won't turn to this anytime soon, and

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<v Speaker 1>then you come to the mid terms. I don't think

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<v Speaker 1>the likely it is high that this is going to

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<v Speaker 1>see the light of the day. But you know, you

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<v Speaker 1>never say never. You always have to be vigilant about

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<v Speaker 1>these types of things that may move when you don't

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<v Speaker 1>expect them. And David, what's your take on whether or

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<v Speaker 1>not this is going to move forward? Well, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>see any Democrats signing on to this. So as long

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<v Speaker 1>as the filibuster remains in effect, Uh, you're not gonna

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<v Speaker 1>see this bill moving forward in the Senate. And you've

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<v Speaker 1>had several Republicans already criticize it. Uh, So you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the idea that it's going to move forward in its

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<v Speaker 1>current form at ly uh is very small. And also, Kevin,

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<v Speaker 1>there were business groups and the US Chamber of Commerce

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<v Speaker 1>in particular, saying it would do serious damage to the economy.

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<v Speaker 1>Which groups are there that are supporting this? In about

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<v Speaker 1>thirty seconds, well, I think the restrictionist groups are supporting it. UM,

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<v Speaker 1>the Federation of Americans, Immigration Reform Numbers USA. UM, you

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<v Speaker 1>know the groups that Steve Bannon associates with who basically

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<v Speaker 1>just want lower levels of immigrants in the country, and

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<v Speaker 1>and they're looking to create a system that deports a

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<v Speaker 1>large number of immigrants. That they're they're really the forces

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<v Speaker 1>behind it. But I otherwise I don't see other groups

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<v Speaker 1>come out and have supported this this film all right,

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you both, including business, Thank you both being here.

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<v Speaker 1>Kevin Applebe, Senior director of International Migration Policy at the

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<v Speaker 1>Center from Migration Studies and dated Theer Immigration Policy Analysts

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<v Speaker 1>at the Cato Institute