As Trump Barricades the Border, Legal Immigration Is Starting to Plunge

[90DayFinancier 910]

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/us/politics/trump-border-legal-immigration.html

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s immigration policies — from travel bans and visa restrictions to refugee caps and asylum changes — have begun to deliver on a longstanding goal: Legal immigration has fallen more than 11 percent and a steeper drop is looming.

While Mr. Trump highlights the construction of a border wall to stress his war on illegal immigration, it is through policy changes, not physical barriers, that his administration has been able to diminish the flow of migrants into the United States. Two more measures took effect Friday and Monday, an expansion of his travel ban and strict wealth tests on green card applicants.

“He’s really ticking off all the boxes. It’s kind of amazing,” said Sarah Pierce, a policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group. “In an administration that’s been perceived to be haphazard, on immigration they’ve been extremely consistent and barreling forward.”

The number of people who obtained lawful permanent residence, besides refugees who entered the United States in previous years, declined to 940,877 in the 2018 fiscal year from 1,063,289 in the 2016 fiscal year, according to an analysis of government data by the National Foundation for American Policy. Four years ago, legal immigration was at its highest level since 2006, when 1,266,129 people obtained lawful permanent residence in the United States.

 

[DELETEME1234 208]

No surprise here. 
 

All those people that always mutter ‘I’ve got no issues with immigrants, but there’s a right way and a wrong way’ always seem forget you mention that they’d rather see a ‘right way’ that is utterly unusable. 

[ultrasoul 51]

On 2/25/2020 at 1:11 AM, Poseidon1212 said:

No surprise here. 
 

All those people that always mutter ‘I’ve got no issues with immigrants, but there’s a right way and a wrong way’ always seem forget you mention that they’d rather see a ‘right way’ that is utterly unusable. 

Not only that, another common refrain of native borns who have never dealt with USCIS would also say "I'm fine with immigration as they get in line"

 

Problem is sometimes there the line is 20+ years (F3/ F4 Philippines or F2B/ F1/ F3/ F4 Mexico) or not even any line at all lol

Edited March 3, 2020 by ultrasoul

[QueenOfBlades 224]

Some countries definitely get an easier time of it than others. I’m from England, so the London interview for my K1 was fine.

 

I don’t remember exactly what the financial requirements were back in 2013 for the I-864, but at the K1 *and* AOS stage, neither me or my husband had a job. His mom was our sponsor and she had a good bit in investments, owned her own home and was providing all our expenses until I found work. 
 

I’m not even sure if I could’ve moved over here with this new public charge rule. The IO at the London embassy was a bit disgruntled with neither of us having jobs when I would arrive in the US (I still had a job in the U.K. and had worked consistently since I was 16) but he said he would overlook it and is not as concerned due to my strong work history. 
 

I did well for myself here and I’m the one who pays to support USC family members now, not the reverse. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I guess I just find it a little sad with the new form that some people who could do really well here aren’t allowed in because it doesn’t look good on paper. But I understand the reasoning. 

[Kris & Crystal 47]

This just seems like people pushing a political agenda via complaining about immigration. The Travel bans are for countries that refuse to share information making it difficult to work out if someone is who they claim to be.

 

The US is allowed to let whoever they choose into their country, or no one at all for that matter. There's no obligation on them one way or the other.

 

I also have to ask, but why are people immigrating to a foreign country if they need to claim benefits and welfare in order to survive.