President Trump’s proposal for a “merit-based” immigration system that favors younger, highly-trained and high-salary workers is now a 620-page bill that will be released “very soon,” said presidential adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner on Tuesday. Kushner said he hoped for “a unified Republican plan” and the president said if Democrats resist the bill, “it’s a campaign issue.”
When the plan was outlined in May, it was silent on agricultural labor. Kushner did not mention undocumented farm workers or visas for short-term agricultural guest workers during a presentation to the Cabinet. A meeting with Republican leaders in Congress was scheduled for later on Tuesday but eventually was postponed. The plan includes building a wall along the border with Mexico and creation of a self-sustaining revenue fund to pay for the equipment for speedy handling of traffic at ports of entry.
“It’s a very, very detailed proposal—it’s going to be the merit-based system…and then also the border security. It completes the wall,” said Kushner. “We want to make sure we bring in people who will grow the GDP, create jobs and do this in a way where we’re not putting downward pressure on wages at the lower level.”