
President Donald Trump gave his support Wednesday to a bill that would cut legal immigration to the United States by half. The bill would reduce legal immigration to the U.S. from the current level of 1 million a year to 500,000 by the end of the 10th year. It would also give a priority to immigrants based on their education, job offers, English-language skills, and success in creating businesses. The bill is similar to proposals Trump made as a candidate for president. During the 2016 campaign, Trump often said immigration was costing Americans jobs and keeping pay down for those with jobs. Republican Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia appeared with Trump at the White House to introduce the bill. Trump said the bill he is supporting would help Americans better compete for jobs. “Among those hit the hardest in recent years have been immigrants and, very importantly, minority workers competing for jobs against brand-new arrivals. And it has not been fair to our people, to our citizens, to our workers.” The bill would keep the current immigration preferences for spouses and young children of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. But it would do away with preferences for other relatives such as grandparents or adult children. The bill would also end the Diversity Immigrant Visa program, known as “diversity lottery.” The program was created to increase immigrants from countries underrepresented in the United States. Cotton said it has been poorly managed. The bill would also limit the number of permanent refugees admitted to the U.S. to 50,000 a year. Cotton said that is in line with the 13-year average.
* legal immigration = 합법 이민/ cut ~ by half = ~을 반으로 줄이다/ give (a) priority to ~ = ~을 우선으로 하다, ~에(게) 우선권을 주다/ immigrant = (다른 나라로 온) 이민자[이주민]/ based on ~ = ~에 근거[기반]하여/ similar to ~ = ~와 비슷하다/ cost sb sth = ~가 ~을 잃게 하다[희생시키다]/ introduce[propose, submit] a bill = 법안을 제출하다/ compete (with sb) for ~ = ~을 위해 (~와) 싸우다/ do away with ~ = ~을 없애다[끝내다, 그만두다, 죽이다]/ underrepresented = 대표자가 불충분한/ permanent refugee = 영구적 난민/ in line with ~ = 와 비슷한; ~와 기밀히 연결되도록
Passage of the immigration bill is far from a sure thing. The bill would require passage in the House of Representatives and the Senate. In the Senate, the bill would need 60 out of 100 votes. That will be difficult given opposition from groups that see immigration as positive for America and for businesses that depend on immigrant workers. Senator Lindsey Graham is a Republican from South Carolina. He tweeted that the proposed immigration bill would be bad for his state. “If proposal were to become law... devastating to SC (South Carolina) economy which relies on this immigrant workforce.” Groups that favor immigration quickly criticized the bill. John Feinblatt is president of a group called New American Economy. It represents 500 mayors and business leaders who support legal immigration. He said cutting immigration in half would “result in fewer jobs for Americans.” But Senator Cotton said change is needed in a system that now brings one million immigrants to the U.S. each year. “That's like adding the population of Montana every single year; adding the population of Arkansas every three years.”
* passage = (법안의) 처리[통과]; 통로, 복도/ far from ~ = 전혀[결코] ~이 아닌[~이 아니라 오히려 (그 반대인)]/ a sure thing = 틀림이 없는 것/ House of Representatives = (미국) 하원/ the Senate = 상원/ devastating = 엄청난 손상을 가하는, 대단히 파괴적인/ rely on ~ = ~에 의지[의존]하다, ~을 필요로 하다/ result in ~ = (결과적으로) ~을 야기하다[낳다]