Current immigration law overwhelmingly selects new immigrants based on family relationships to other immigrants. To illustrate, let’s look at some recent numbers from DHS:
For Fiscal Year 2016 (federal fiscal years run from 10/01 – 09/30), the U.S. admitted 1,183,505 new lawful permanent residents (LPRs, or “green card” holders).[1] Of the total, 565, 427 obtained LPR status by adjusting status inside the U.S., while 618, 078 were admitted as LPRs at a Port of Entry (POE).
Of the total LPR admissions, 566, 706 were in the immediate relative category. That is, they were either the spouse, parent, or child (unmarried and under 21) of a U.S. citizen (USC). Family preference visa categories totaled another 238, 087 LPR admissions. These include spouse of LPRs, unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of USCs, and brothers and sisters of USCs, among others. Thus, total family-based admissions for FY2016 were 804, 793.
For the same year, refugee and asylee admissions totaled 157, 425.
Employment-based LPR admissions for FY2016 were 137,893.
68% of admissions were for family-based immigration visas, while only about 12% were employment-based.
First, argue that we should maintain our current immigration system that mostly favors family-based immigrant admissions.
Second, make the case that our system should be substantially reformed, with more emphasis on employment-based LPR admissions and less on family-based.
Please dedicate roughly the same attention to both sides and be specific in stating your claims. Use scholarly sources to support your arguments. Give attribution to your sources!
Sample Solution