Sen. Hirono: ‘Trump Immigration Plan Doubles Down on Bigoted Campaign Rhetoric’

Big Island Now stock image. June 2016.

Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the only immigrant serving in the U.S. Senate, released the following statement after President Donald Trump endorsed a bill by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.) that would dramatically reform the immigration system—the Trump-Cotton-Perdue immigration proposal.

News sources report that the bill, known as the “Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act,” proposes a decrease in the number of immigrants granted residency in the U.S. each year from 1 million to 500,000.

The RAISE Act would also give residency preference to skilled worker immigrants over family members of current U.S. residents.

It would eliminate a visa diversity system that would have granted 50,000 green cards next year and would halve the refugee admittance rates from approximately 100,000 to 50,000.

“It is shortsighted to think that America became the great nation it is by only letting certain kinds of people into our country,” said Sen. Hirono. “Yet, this is exactly what the Trump-Cotton-Perdue proposal does. Instead of doubling down on the bigotry and irrational fear of immigrants he promoted during the campaign, the president should work with members of both parties to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”