President Donald Trump's immigration bill is so ill-conceived that it should be treated for what it is, a bad idea that is yet another attempt to energize his dwindling base of right-wing and nativist supporters, The New York Times Editorial Board wrote on Monday.
The bill should be thrown in the same category as the president's recent tweet opposing transgender people in the military and his encouragement of aggressive behavior by the police against suspects, both of which were transparent appeals to recapture the base that is beginning to abandon him, as those who disapprove of the job he is doing has now reached 60 percent.
Trump's bill would cut in half legal immigration and favor people who speak English and have advanced degrees, but it would do nothing to solve the country's economic problems.
Supporters claim that the legislation would protect American workers from competition from low-skilled foreigners, but that theory has proven to be false, the editorial states.
A comprehensive report published last year by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine showed that while it is true that an influx of workers can result in short-term disruptions to the labor market, the impact on salaries of native workers over a 10-year period or more is "very small."
Other studies have repeatedly shown that immigration increases productivity and economic growth, while restricting it would have the opposite effect.
The issue of immigration in America is complex for several reasons and thus has been vulnerable to seductive promises, which Trump exploited during his presidential campaign, according to the editorial.
In any case, this bill is unlikely to become law, because several key Republican senators have already come out against it as too extreme.
The New York Times stated that instead, "The right approach to immigration reform would be bipartisan and comprehensive. It would include stronger enforcement, better worker protections and a pathway to citizenship for the country's 11 million unauthorized immigrants."