Neo-Nazi Richard Spencer, white supremacist William Johnson, and a Southern Poverty Law Center designated anti-immigrant hate group are among the vocal supporters of a so-called “legal” immigration bill that Donald Trump endorsed at the (very) White House in a speech today that, among other things, also made sure to keep spreading the myth that undocumented immigrants are eligible for public benefits (they’re not):
Sens. Tom Cotton (Ark.) and David Perdue (Ga.) have been working with the Trump administration to refine a bill they first introduced in February that aims to cut immigration by half from the current level of more than 1 million green cards per year granting foreigners permanent legal residence in the United States. The revised legislation also is expected to put stricter limits on temporary work visas for lower skilled immigrants.
Economically speaking, experts say this anti-immigration plan is a “grave mistake” that will “condemn us to chronically low rates of economic growth,” but Trump doesn’t care. In a future where America is destined to have more Spanish-speakers than any other country, all Trump sees is yet another way to rally up his supporters in his ongoing mission to make America white. As LatinoUSA’s Julio Ricardo Varela tweeted, “’highly skilled permanent workers’ is code word for ‘not immigrants from Mexico or Central America.’” It’s no wonder, then, why so many white supremacists and white nationalists love it.
“Anybody can find something to quibble with in anything,” said a spokesperson for the anti-immigrant hate group FAIR, which was founded by eye doctor and eugencist John Tanton. “But … it looks like the perfect bill.” According to the Huffington Post earlier, the bill also has the support of white nationalists William Johnson, “who was briefly a Trump delegate” before getting the boot: The bill is “a viable first step in changing the nation’s immigration policies.” Most notably, Cotton and Purdue’s bill has the support of neo-Nazi Richard Spencer, who said that the legislation “sounds awesome.” Lovely.
Rewire’s Tina Vasquez notes how this legislation fucks over black immigrants, in particular:
Trump’s trope is that he loves immigrants so long as they come in legally, but he’s endorsing a plan that doesn’t let them do that either.
“Once you get here, you have a green card and you can open up immigration not just to your immediate family, but your extended family, your village, your clan, your tribe,” Cotton said about his bill, according to Huffington Post. Thanks for at least being honest about your motivations, senator.