Upbeat after a year of economic resurgence and jobs growth, President Donald Trump proclaimed a “new American moment” as he used his maiden State of the Union address on Tuesday night to announce a big push on immigration reform and infrastructure as his top Year-2 priorities.
“This, in fact, is our new American moment. There has never been a better time to start living the American Dream,” Trump asserted in an 80-minute address that touted the “extraordinary success” of his first year in office, marked by a spike in economic growth, a booming stock market and a record job creation.
On the immigration front, Trump pitched for merit-based reforms — a pursuit that could greatly help lakhs of high-skilled Indian professionals working in the US. “It’s time to begin moving towards a merit-based immigration system, one that admits people who are skilled, who want to work, who will contribute to our society, and who will love and respect our country,” he said.
But his immediate challenge is to resolve the crisis facing nearly two million ‘Dreamers’ — illegal immigrants brought to the US as children. If unresolved by March 5, they could face deportation. And the Democrats could force another government shutdown over the issue. laying out a four-point immigration plan, Trump mooted a path to citizenship for 1.8 million ‘Dreamers’ over a 12-year period. In return, he wants Congress to approve his pet project of building a wall along the Mexican border and other security measures at an estimate cost of $25 billion – a figure he did not mention in his address, but which was set out in a White House fact sheet.
The other two points of his plan, both opposed by Democrats, seek to end the “chain migration” system and the diversity visa lottery programme. The Trump plan limits sponsorships to spouses and minor children, while the present “chain migration” system allows parents and other relatives as well. He wants the lottery programme to go as it “randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill, merit, or the safety of American people”.
“These four pillars represent a down-the-middle compromise, and one that will create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system,” he said, adding: “For over 30 years, Washington has tried and failed to solve this problem. This Congress can be the one that finally makes it happen.”
There were boos from some of the Democratic lawmakers over Trump’s push to end chain migration to the point of excluding parents as well. Citing another justification for his push, Trump argued that the two recent terrorist attacks in New York were made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration. “This vital reform is necessary, not just for our economy, but for our security and for the future of America,” he said, adding: “So let’s come together, set politics aside, and finally get the job done.”
Striking a rare conciliatory tone, the billionaire President appealed for national unity amid deep division and sought to reach out to Democrats in the quest to “protect our citizens of every background, colour, religion and creed” and enable them to live their “American Dream” without let or hindrance.
Citing challenges from “rivals like China and Russia” as also rogue regimes and terrorist groups, he proposed a big hike on defence spending, including rebuilding the US nuclear arsenal to make it “so strong and so powerful” as to deter any act of aggression. He also outlined a $1.5 trillion plan to transform America’s infrastructure. Democratic lawmakers remained mute spectators for most of Trump’s address, while the Republicans sprang to their feet time and again to applaud him. He urged lawmakers of both parties to “set aside their differences and strive for the unity needed to improve the nation’s infrastructure and immigration systems”.
The proponent of the “America First” philosophy boasted that, under his watch, America has “finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our jobs and our wealth”.