US President Donald Trump said Thursday he wants to overhaul the immigration system to favor educated, English-speaking applicants with job offers instead of people with family ties to Americans, a plan with little chance of advancing in Congress.
Trump’s plan, roundly panned by Democrats and immigration advocacy groups, is aimed at trying to unite Republicans - some who want to boost immigration, others who want to restrict it - ahead of the November 2020 presidential and congressional elections.
“If for some reason, possibly political, we can’t get the Democrats to approve this merit-based, high-security plan, then we will get it approved immediately after the election when we take back the House (of Representatives), keep the Senate, and, of course, hold the presidency,” Trump said in a Rose Garden address to Republican lawmakers and Cabinet members.
