It has all kinds of wrong written on it. Two U.S. senators, Tom Cotton (Republican-Arkansas) and David Perdue (Republican-Georgia), have introduced the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act. Under this Act, people trying to come into the United States legally would not be allowed in because the number of legal immigrants allowed into the United States would be cut back. That is right; trying to get into the United States and play by the rules will basically be gutted in an effort to limit legal immigration. This Act has the support of many Republicans and the White House. This Act would eliminate the Visa Lottery whereby those names of possible legal immigrants could be allowed into the United States if their names are picked. Worse, it would limit the spouses and children of U.S. citizens from being allowed into the United States because there will be a restricted quota. It will not touch legal immigration in regards to employment if they are sponsored by a corporation. The Act is being considered because, according to Cotton and Perdue, the percentage of immigrants coming into the United States is “too high.”

Yet this Act has racism written all over it. Most of those who are allowed into the United States through the Visa Lottery are from Mexico and Central America, and currently the countries with the most immigrants trying to legally come to the United States are from Mexico, China, India, the Philippines, and Canada. None of these countries where immigrants are coming today are European, and the growing number of immigrants who are coming into this country are largely from Asia. There is no doubt that the Act intends to cut off this legal immigration, and in fact is a slap in the face of not only those immigrants willing to play by the rules but also to their families who want their loved ones to come to the United States. Most of those immigrants trying to get into the United States legally are waiting in line to be reunited with their families already living in the United States. Must these people be told that they cannot enter the United States because the U.S. government is now limiting all sorts of categories of legal immigration? That is what the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act would do, and it is wrong.

Why can’t the United States learn how to reasonably run its immigration system like Canada? Canada for the most part allows in immigrants who have special skills and money who can invest in Canada. The Canadian government does not stop Canadian citizens from sponsoring spouses and children from going to live in Canada. That would be seen as wrong and inhumane. After all, Canadians pay taxes for their immigration system to work for them. Why should the U.S. immigration system work against U.S. citizens?! Even if this Act allows for no change in letting immigrants come into the United States for employment purposes only, legal immigration in all other categories should not be limited or restricted. This Act should not be tolerated, and it is the absolute wrong approach to the whole issue of immigration. I urge all U.S. citizens to write to their congressional representatives and tell them to vote against the Reforming American Immigration For Strong Employment Act.