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Trump to Announce “Merit-Based” Immigration Plan to Limit Asylum Cases, Family Reunifications

HeadlineMay 16, 2019

President Trump is set to unveil a sweeping immigration plan today that would prioritize high-skilled workers and English speakers, while further cutting the number of immigrants granted asylum or allowed to reunify with family members living in the U.S. The plan would cap immigration rates at their current levels, changing the percentage of those receiving green cards based on so-called merit from 12% to 57%. It could even require immigrants hoping to enter the U.S. to pass a civics test. The plan doesn’t deal with DACA, family separations or the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. Trump is set to announce the plan, which was crafted by his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, at a ceremony today in the White House Rose Garden. Meanwhile, Guatemala’s U.S. consul says a two-and-a-half-year-old migrant boy died in U.S. custody Wednesday, three days after he and his family were detained by Customs and Border Protection. He’s believed to be the fourth migrant child to die in U.S. custody since December.

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