Senator David Perdue Discusses RAISE Act At Center For Immigration Studies Event

Politics

Senator David Perdue Discusses RAISE Act At Center For Immigration Studies Event

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) joined Dr. Michael Teitelbaum, former Vice Chair of the Jordan Commission, at a Center for Immigration Studies event to discuss the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act and why it should be included in any solution to fix our country’s immigration problems.

Different World: “Congress hasn’t done anything to our immigration system since 1990. That’s almost thirty years ago. In 1990, the Internet really wasn’t used for the most part. What we have is an entirely different world now with an immigration system in the United States that does not meet the needs of our country.”

Three Prong Issue: “Immigration has serval dimensions to it. First, it is a national security issue. Secondly, it is an economic issue, as we have proven over the last 230 years of our history as America. Third, it has humanitarian dimensions to it as well. There are some 65 million refugees around the world today.”

Targeted Approach: “We tried to put the RAISE Act into context as it relates to national security, economic needs, and humanitarian needs. What we didn’t do, is what Congress often tries to do, and that’s try and solve the comprehensive problem all at once.”

Majority Of Americans Agree: “This bill is pro-worker, pro-growth and it has been proven to work. Seventy-two percent of Americans support an immigration system that is limited to the worker and to the workers’ immediate family. 72%! I challenge you to find another topic where you can get 70% of Americans to agree.”

Solution For Legal Immigration: “We’re trying to engage the Senate to make something happen to where we can get a solution on the legal immigration side. In my opinion, any solution to the immigration problem must include the RAISE Act and the end of chain migration in America.”

Drawing From Best Practices: “The RAISE Act is very simple. This is just one piece of what I think is the ultimate solution to our immigration problem. You have to start with a high ground and that’s what we have tried to do. We looked at other countries to find best practices, and we really like what was recommended by the Jordon Commission back in the nineties.”

Merit-Based System: “We looked at the things that make people contributory to our economy, as well as maintained a refugee category and eliminated what is called the visa lottery. There are merit-based skills that we looked at—basically education, job, age, investment, accomplishment, and English—and compiled a 100-point scale system.”

Ending Chain Migration: “We are letting current immigrants determine who future immigrants are going to be under this current immigration system. I would argue that is not contributory to an economy in the situation we are in today. This is a system that is absolutely screaming to be reformed.”

Calling Out A Crisis: “Congress typically functions very well in a crisis. Tom Cotton and I are calling this out as a crisis. If you want to grow the economy, you have to fix your immigration system. If you want to fix your national security system, you have to fix your immigration system. You certainly can’t ignore it.”

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