President Trump detailed a draft version of his immigration plan for Republican senators Tuesday, calling for overall levels of legal immigration to remain the same but for the government to prioritize workers with prized skills over extended family members looking to reunite.
The bill would also “close all the loopholes” that illegal immigrants are using to gain a foothold in the U.S., making good on Mr. Trump’s border security plans, a senior administration official said.
While still a work in progress, the plan marks an important ante for the White House amid ongoing demands for a comprehensive immigration debate that would go beyond the border security fracas that has dominated the first two years of Mr. Trump’s tenure.
The president shared the plan with a dozen conservative Republican senators during a meeting at the White House, promising them the changes will have the effect of boosting U.S. workers, not creating paths for competition for jobs or pay.