Senator Marsha Blackburn gave the following statement after attending President Trump’s remarks on immigration at the White House:
“The President and Senate Republicans have it right. A merit-based immigration system is a move in the right direction for our economy.
We should welcome the opportunity to attract and hire the top talent globally. However, more loopholes must be closed to end chain migration and to bring the asylum-seeking process under control. Until entry numbers go down, and until physical barriers are fully funded and built, the border security situation remains in peril.”
Senator David Perdue said, “President Trump is serious about finding solutions to fix our broken immigration system and secure our borders. If we want to continue this economic boom, we must have an immigration system that responds to the needs of our growing economy, while protecting American workers. I will continue working with the Trump Administration and my Senate colleagues to move toward a merit-based immigration system that is focused on bringing in the best and brightest from around the world who wish to come to the United States legally to work and make a better life for themselves.”
Senator Perdue has been working to fix our broken immigration system since he came to the United States Senate. He has introduced three targeted bills: the RAISE Act, SECURE Act, and Secure and Succeed Act. Specifically, President Trump’s legal immigration platform builds on the RAISE Act, which would create a merit-based immigration system to protect American workers and help grow the U.S. economy.
Rep. Scott DesJarlais said, “The President’s plan is a well-thought-out, sensible one that would end the chaos at the border and across the United States, because of weak border security, bad laws and judicial decisions. As opposed to the random lottery we have right now, we need a merit-based immigration system that attracts high-skilled workers who will not displace American citizens or become a public burden, and to close legal loopholes incentivizing dangerous illegal immigration, including migrant caravans overwhelming our facilities. The status quo is unacceptable. There is a crisis. Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress know exactly what our country must do to fix it.”