Trump White House Chief of Staff Claims America “Desperate” For More Immigration
Richard Moorhead
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President Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney sharply departed from previous Trump administration policy on immigration when speaking at an event in England on Wednesday, according to new reporting from the Washington Post.
Mulvaney claimed that the United States is “desperate” for higher levels of legal immigration.
“We are desperate — desperate — for more people. We are running out of people to fuel the economic growth that we’ve had in our nation over the last four years. We need more immigrants.”
Mulvaney framed his call for additional levels of legal immigration by merely stating the process had to be lawful. It wasn’t a consideration that unauthorized immigration is already illegal for a reason- it drives down wages of American workers, raises costs of housing and utilities, and places burdens on communities unprepared for elevated levels of population growth.
Unfortunately, Mulvaney’s perspective on immigration policy- one that prioritizes a desire for more cheap labor for American corporations- is widely held among the donor class elite of the Republican Party, who ignores concerns on the impact of such policy on American workers. Charles Koch, a notable political enemy of President Trump, bankrolls influence efforts to massively increase annual legal immigration levels, putting himself on the same page as Mulvaney on the topic.
President Trump has given mixed messages on legal immigration policy, running on a strong pro-American worker restrictionist platform as a candidate and flirting with the idea of increased levels as President. Immigration levels broadly have decreased during his presidency, a development likely linked to the increase in wages among America’s blue collar workers.
Early Trump supporters such as Stephen K. Bannon and Stephen Miller have proved instrumental to blocking plans suggested by those such as Jared Kushner to buff immigration levels. Unfortunately, it appears as if the Chamber of Commerce crowd has an ally in a high place within the White House, who seeks to deliver the cheap labor programs they need to avoid paying higher wages to American workers.
Mulvaney’s desire to push the policies of the Chamber of Commerce and Koch Brothers raises serious questions about his high-ranking place within the administration.
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