In nod to 2020, Trump pitches U.S. immigration overha

President Donald Trump on Thursday proposed overhauling the U.S. immigration system to favor young, educated, English-speaking applicants instead of people with family ties to Americans, a plan that faces an uphill battle in Congress but gives Trump an issue for his 2020 re-election campaign.

Trump’s plan, roundly panned by Democrats and immigration advocacy groups, was aimed at trying to unite Republicans - some who want to boost immigration, others who want to restrict it - ahead of next year’s presidential and congressional elections.

“If for some reason, possibly political, we can’t get the Democrats to approve this merit-based, high-security plan, then we will get it approved immediately after the election when we take back the House (of Representatives), keep the Senate, and, of course, hold the presidency,” Trump said to applause in a Rose Garden address to Republican lawmakers and Cabinet members.

Currently, about two-thirds of the 1.1 million people allowed to emigrate to the United States each year are given green cards granting permanent residency because of family ties.

Trump proposed keeping the overall numbers steady, but shift to a “merit-based” system similar to one used in Canada - a plan he said would result in 57% of green cards to be based on employment and skills.

Ahead of the speech, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “merit” was a “condescending” term.

“Are they saying family is without merit? Are they saying most of the people who have ever come to the United States in the history of our country, are without merit, because they don’t have an engineering degree?” Pelosi told reporters.

The plan also drew concerns from hard-line groups that want to restrict immigration. “The fact that it does not even call for a modest reduction in total immigration, but instead offsets decreases with increases in ‘skills-based’ immigration, is very concerning,” said Mark Krikorian, head of the Center for Immigration Studies.