OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 1:52 PM PT – Wednesday, July 17, 2019
The White House is getting ready to roll out a new bill designed to overhaul the U.S. immigration system. Senior Adviser Jared Kushner unveiled parts of the proposal to high ranking cabinet members on Tuesday. According to reports, the plan is a more fleshed out version of the president’s “merit-based” immigration proposal he released back in may this year.
The proposal includes legislation to end the visa lottery and make the process to declare asylum more competitive. It eliminates the chain migration system and replaces it with a new merit-based system that favors highly-skilled workers. If enacted, the bill would also impose a nationwide E-verify system allowing employers to see if job candidates is legally allowed to work in the country.
White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner speaks about border security to President Donald Trump and others during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Tuesday, July 16, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“I think we are at a time where people are understanding this issue maybe more than they ever have before,” said Kushner. “I do believe that the president’s position on immigration has been, maybe, defined by his opponents by what hes’s against as opposed to what he’s for, and what I’ve done is I’ve tried to put together a very detailed proposal for him.”
Members of the administration were scheduled to iron out some last minute details with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday this week, but the meeting was postponed. McConnell noted that the key to passing immigration reform was keeping it bipartisan, and said Democrats would be reluctant to sign off on any bill that did not provide protections for so called Dreamers.
However, pundits have suggested the purpose of the plan may not be to sway Democrats, but instead serve as a political litmus test for Republicans on immigration issues. An official release date has not been given, but insiders say the plan will likely be unveiled by the end of the week.