At the end of Trump’s last term, border patrol arrests were 64 percent higher than when he entered office, but he had slashed virtually every classification of legal immigration: refugees, family, employment, and temporary visitors. It is just easier for an anti-immigrant president to make illegal what was once legal activity than to stop illegal activity.
Since President Joe Biden has gone even further in streamlining legal entries, Trump’s cuts are likely to be even more severe this time. The Biden administration’s program for refugees entering legally from abroad is now operating at the highest level since the 1990s, and it has created private sponsorship programs for refugees and parolees from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Trump has promised to end those parole initiatives and suspend refugee admissions. He would institute “an even bigger” immigration ban on immigrants who happened to be citizens of disfavored nations.
For those worried about the country’s economic health, America’s demographic trends aren’t improving. Economic growth depends on a strong labor force, which will require immigration as more Americans retire. The U.S.-born, prime-age employment rate is near record highs already, but there are still millions of open jobs. Without immigrants, there is no hope for future job growth.
Trump occasionally hints at a better vision of immigration, talking about “beautiful doors” in his border wall or giving green cards to foreign students. But nearly every policy during his last term moved in the opposite direction. If you care about America’s economic future, you should care about Trump’s legal immigration plans.
