Immigration reform latest news: GOP Sen. Tom Cotton urges immigration reform that will raise American wages
After the victory of President-elect Donald Trump during the U.S. elections, many political and economic topics have been brought to light, with the general public demanding such issues to be directly addressed by the President-elect once he assumes the Presidential seat in the White House. One of these pressing issues includes the need for immigration reform.
During the campaign for the U.S. elections, the President-elect's campaign heavily focused on immigration, previously making controversial statements that put some Mexicans in a negative light. He even went so far as to publicly pledge that he will have a wall built along the Mexican border and to say that he would prevent foreign Muslims from entering the U.S.
However, since his election as the next President of the country, the President-elect has moderated his formerly hard-line stance on the immigration issue. Hence, a long, laborious, and high-stakes battle over immigration policy is expected to take place during his administration, which will leave millions of people to wait for an uncertain future in the country.
According to Tal Kopan of CNN, there are several actions that Trump could initiate as soon as he assumes office. Considering his previous pledge on immigration issues, the President-elect could roll back Obama's immigration executive actions, including deferred action.
He could also step up the enforcement of deportation orders and immigration laws by immediately directing federal enforcement agencies to do so. Trump would also have the authority to instruct agencies to tighten the screening for visa applicants including refugees.
In an opinion article published by the New York Times, GOP Sen. Tom Cotton also wrote that President-elect Trump should immediately utilize his electoral mandate to raise the Americans' wages by reducing the supply of wage-cutting, low-skilled, legal immigrants.
According to Breitbart, roughly 4 million young Americans enter the job market each year while the federal government provides work permits to around a million new legal immigrants as well as a million temporary contract workers.
Sen. Cotton's recommended immigration reform, if put into effect, would prioritize the needs of the American citizens over legal immigrants entering the country.