Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday called on Congress to reform federal immigration laws in the wake of Monday’s attempted terror attack in New York City.
“[I]t is also up to Congress to improve our laws. We cannot wait any longer. As yesterday’s events showed us in the starkest terms: The failures of our immigration system are a national security issue,” Sessions said in a speech in Baltimore.
Sessions cited data showing that 75 percent of the 500 people prosecuted since the 9/11 for terrorism-related offenses were born outside the U.S., and said President Trump is “exactly right to call attention to these issues and to how they affect our security.”
“In just the last two months, we’ve seen two terrorist attacks in New York City carried out by men who were here as a result of failed immigration policies — the diversity lottery and chain migration,” Sessions said, propping up Trump’s call to end chain migration and switch to a merit-based system such as those in Canada and Australia.
“We should give priority to those who are likely to thrive here, such as those who speak English or are highly skilled, not someone chosen at random or who happens to be somebody’s relative,” Sessions said. He said factors such as “the applicant’s likelihood of assimilation and success in the United States” should be taken more importantly.
Reforming the immigration system to “a legal immigration that serves the national interest” is the goal of the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, Sessions said.
