For decades, the United States has been under the chokehold of an outdated immigration system, one that prioritizes everyone but average people.
While illegal immigration is typically faulted, our legal immigration system is equally to blame. Under our system, immigrants are not chosen based on a universal set of criteria that advances the national interest. Instead, due to the Immigration Act of 1965 (which created our current system), most immigrants are sponsored by family members.
That means personal interests take priority over national interests. While keeping nuclear families together is important, it should not be America’s responsibility to take in the extended family members of every immigrant. Yet that’s just what we do. Each year, hundreds of thousands of extended family members from across the globe, adults and their families, are granted green cards simply because of their relationship to someone in the U.S. Skills, jobs, education, the ability to be self-sufficient, or even the desire to be an American, are simply irrelevant.
Other immigration programs compound the problem. The Diversity Visa Program, for example, allows up to 55,000 foreign nationals to obtain green cards through nothing more than a random lottery. It is a program intentionally designed to ignore merit.
The cumulative impact of these programs has been stunning. Over the past decade, 84% of immigrants to the U.S. were chosen without regard to skills or merit. The result has been the mass immigration of individuals who are less educated, lower wage earners, less likely to be self-sufficient, less likely to speak English, and more likely to use public resources. This must change.
However, overhauling America’s legal immigration system requires congressional action. It’s a daunting task, but Congress can set America’s immigration system on the right track if it focuses on several core principles. An America First immigration system — one that ensures that immigration benefits Americans and places their interests above those of immigrants — will do the following:
- Prioritize immigration based on merit. Congress should prioritize immigrants with education, skills, and well-paying jobs in the U.S. because they are most likely to contribute to America’s society and economy, benefitting all Americans.
- Reduce low-skilled immigration. Congress should minimize low-skilled immigration to reduce unfair competition to American workers and the draining of America’s resources.
- Prioritize assimilation. Congress should also prioritize immigrants who want to be Americans – who respect the rule of law, share American values, and are proficient in English.
- Protect American workers. Immigration should not come at the expense of American workers. Thus, Congress should prevent corporations from abusing guest worker visas and replacing American workers with cheap foreign labor.
- Protect American taxpayers. Immigration should also not come at the expense of the American taxpayer. Thus, Congress should limit most social and welfare benefits to legal permanent residents and citizens.
- Reserve humanitarian programs for those truly in need. America’s refugee and asylum programs serve an important purpose, but they should not allow economic migrants to game the system. Congress must place sensible limits on asylum and parole, and repeal programs that have been perennially abused, such as Temporary Protected Status.
- Maintain moderation in numbers. Immigration must be measured in nature and moderate in numbers so that America can economically absorb and culturally assimilate newly arriving immigrants. Congress must therefore reduce immigration that does not serve the national interest, such as chain migration, and resist pressure to increase immigration levels.
Merit-based immigration has long been an America First goal. Early in his first term, President Donald Trump endorsed the adoption of a points-based merit system because he understood its benefits. The system’s key advantage is that it provides a structured, transparent way of managing immigration that aligns prospective immigrants with the economic and societal goals of the host country. By applying a universal set of criteria, a host country can determine whom it admits as immigrants, rather than leaving that decision to special interests or the immigrants themselves.
Adopting a points-based merit system would finally allow America to regain control of its immigration system. Instead of mass low-skill migration, America would set the criteria for admission, and prospective immigrants would need to demonstrate that they have the skills, education, or other attributes that serve America’s national interest. From this applicant pool, America would be able to select the best and brightest.
SANCTUARY CITIES: COMPASSION ON OTHER PEOPLE’S DIME
The outcome would be an all-around win for the nation. America First Policy Institute estimates a points-based system would increase GDP per capita by 0.5% to 1% and reduce federal debt by about $100 billion over 10 years. This means higher living standards for Americans and a stronger American economy.
It’s time for America to make immigration work for Americans. Merit is the key to creating this system. Now, Congress must act.
Julie Kirchner is senior adviser for Homeland Security & Immigration at America First Policy Institute.