‘End Chain Migration:’ Donald Trump Demands Action from GOP-Led Congress

Visa Waiver
Chris Hondros/Getty Images
John Binder
Washington, D.C.

President Donald Trump is demanding action on immigration from the Congress led by Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

On Monday, 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, a Bangladesh national, injured three individuals when he allegedly tried to detonate a suicide bomb in New York City during a planned terrorist attack.

Ullah, as confirmed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), entered the U.S. in 2011 as a chain migrant, as Breitbart News reported. Ullah is the fourth Bangladesh national in the U.S. to be suspected or convicted of terrorism.

Under “chain migration,” new immigrants to the U.S. are allowed to bring an unlimited number of poorly-screened foreign relatives with them, creating a never-ending flow of immigration from some terror-ridden countries.

Ullah came to the U.S. through the F43 visa, allowing him to obtain a Green Card simply because his father’s brother or sister had recently been naturalized as a U.S. citizen. This process is known as “extended-family chain migration.”

In Trump’s response to the terrorist attack, Trump called on the Republican-controlled Congress to pass legislation that would officially end chain migration, which has been responsible for more than 9 million foreign nationals coming to the U.S. in the last decade.

Trump stated:

Today’s attempted mass murder attack in New York City—the second terror attack in New York in the last two months—once again highlights the urgent need for Congress to enact legislative reforms to protect the American people.

First and foremost, as I have been saying since I first announced my candidacy for President, America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country.  Today’s terror suspect entered our country through extended-family chain migration, which is incompatible with national security.  My Executive action to restrict the entry of certain nationals from eight countries, which the Supreme Court recently allowed to take effect, is just one step forward in securing our immigration system.  Congress must end chain migration.  Congress must also act on my Administration’s other proposals to enhance domestic security, including increasing the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, enhancing the arrest and detention authorities for immigration officers, and ending fraud and abuse in our immigration system.  The terrible harm that this flawed system inflicts on America’s security and economy has long been clear.  I am determined to improve our immigration system to put our country and our people first.

Second, those convicted of engaging in acts of terror deserve the strongest penalty allowed by law, including the death penalty in appropriate cases.  America should always stand firm against terrorism and extremism, ensuring that our great institutions can address all evil acts of terror.

As Breitbart News reported, more than 140,000 Bangladeshi nationals — larger than the population of Dayton, Ohio — have entered the United States since 2005 for no other reason than to reunite with extended family members.

Currently, only one in 15 foreign nationals admitted to the U.S. come to the country based on skills and employment purposes. Though roughly 150,000 employment-based Green Cards are allotted every year, half of those Green Cards actually go to the foreign relatives of employees.

Since 2005, the U.S. admitted 80,252 chain migrants from Iran, despite the nation being listed by the U.S. State Department as a sponsor of terrorism.

A Senate immigration package, crafted by a handful of lawmakers including Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) and Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), would end chain migration, but couples it with an amnesty for nearly 800,000 illegal aliens shielded from deportation under the President Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

The SECURE Act, as Breitbart News reported, would offer three-year work permits to DACA illegal aliens while ending chain migration. An amnesty for illegal aliens, no matter if it is attached to pro-American legal immigration reforms, would be a betrayal to Trump’s core base of supporters.

McConnell has endorsed ending chain migration, though he has yet to push legislation through the Senate that would execute the plan. Ryan, on the other hand, has yet to commit to ending chain migration and has previously tried to push an amnesty for illegal aliens without even including any pro-American immigration reforms.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.

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