“We are proposing an immigration plan that puts the jobs, wages and safety of American workers first,” Trump said from the White House Rose Garden in front of an audience of Cabinet officials and GOP lawmakers. That dynamic was quickly apparent after Trump finished his speech and left the Rose Garden without taking questions from reporters. McCarthy noted to reporters earlier in the day that the new plan was “not a complete immigration bill.”“But it’s a base,” McCarthy, a close Trump ally, added. About two-thirds of green cards are currently based on family ties, but the new White House proposal would slash that percentage down to about a third. The new system, as White House officials described it, would create a two-step process that begins with a civics test and a background check.

Source: Washington Post May 16, 2019 15:17 UTC