Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus
CAPAC Denounces Proposed Cuts to Legal Immigration System
(CAPAC) Chair
Judy Chu
Judy Chu
Aug. 2, WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Donald Trump announced support for the RAISE Act, a bill
introduced in the United States Senate by Senators Cotton and Perdue that would dramatically cut
America’s legal immigration system by moving from a family-based immigration system to a merit-
based system. Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the
following statements:
Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:
“The RAISE Act is a direct assault on our longstanding values as a nation of immigrants, and I vehemently
oppose this xenophobic bill. This proposal to slash our current legal immigration system by 50% and to
create a bureaucratic ‘points’ system will disproportionately impact the Asian American and Pacific
Islander (AAPI) community. Although AAPIs comprise 6 percent of the total U.S. population, they account
for over 40 percent of the 4.3 million individuals languishing in our current family immigration visa
backlogs, often waiting decades to reunite with their loved ones.
“It is clear that moving to a merit-based system that favors English-speaking, high-skilled individuals is
only meant to further President Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda by creating a false classification of ‘good’
immigrants versus ‘bad’ immigrants. In reality, these drastic cuts to our legal immigration system would
devastate America’s economic growth and threaten our competitive advantage to attract the best talent to
our shores.
“America wins when people are welcomed and integrated into our society and given the chance to
contribute to the U.S. economy. Immigrant families fill critical gaps in our workforce, open new
businesses, and help to create jobs to improve local economies across the country. Instead of advancing
proposals driven by fear and hate, Republicans should work with Democrats to focus on comprehensive
immigration reform legislation that will reunite families, strengthen our economy, provide a pathway to
citizenship, and ensure that America continues to remain the land of opportunity for all.”
Senator Mazie K. Hirono (HI):
“It is shortsighted to think that America became the great nation it is by only letting certain kinds of people
into our country. Yet, this is exactly what the Trump-Cotton-Perdue proposal does. Instead of doubling
down on the bigotry and irrational fear of immigrants he promoted during the campaign, the President
should work with members of both parties to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”
###
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of
Asian and Pacific Islander descent and Members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-
being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Currently chaired by
Congresswoman Judy Chu, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of
American life since it was founded in 1994.
introduced in the United States Senate by Senators Cotton and Perdue that would dramatically cut
America’s legal immigration system by moving from a family-based immigration system to a merit-
based system. Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) released the
following statements:
Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:
“The RAISE Act is a direct assault on our longstanding values as a nation of immigrants, and I vehemently
oppose this xenophobic bill. This proposal to slash our current legal immigration system by 50% and to
create a bureaucratic ‘points’ system will disproportionately impact the Asian American and Pacific
Islander (AAPI) community. Although AAPIs comprise 6 percent of the total U.S. population, they account
for over 40 percent of the 4.3 million individuals languishing in our current family immigration visa
backlogs, often waiting decades to reunite with their loved ones.
“It is clear that moving to a merit-based system that favors English-speaking, high-skilled individuals is
only meant to further President Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda by creating a false classification of ‘good’
immigrants versus ‘bad’ immigrants. In reality, these drastic cuts to our legal immigration system would
devastate America’s economic growth and threaten our competitive advantage to attract the best talent to
our shores.
“America wins when people are welcomed and integrated into our society and given the chance to
contribute to the U.S. economy. Immigrant families fill critical gaps in our workforce, open new
businesses, and help to create jobs to improve local economies across the country. Instead of advancing
proposals driven by fear and hate, Republicans should work with Democrats to focus on comprehensive
immigration reform legislation that will reunite families, strengthen our economy, provide a pathway to
citizenship, and ensure that America continues to remain the land of opportunity for all.”
Senator Mazie K. Hirono (HI):
“It is shortsighted to think that America became the great nation it is by only letting certain kinds of people
into our country. Yet, this is exactly what the Trump-Cotton-Perdue proposal does. Instead of doubling
down on the bigotry and irrational fear of immigrants he promoted during the campaign, the President
should work with members of both parties to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”
###
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) is comprised of Members of Congress of
Asian and Pacific Islander descent and Members who have a strong dedication to promoting the well-
being of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Currently chaired by
Congresswoman Judy Chu, CAPAC has been addressing the needs of the AAPI community in all areas of
American life since it was founded in 1994.
