Guys, I'm still reeling! Now that Biden's won, instead of watching the Great British
Bake Off and stuffing my face with genoise sponge to survive, I'm watching the Great
British Bake Off and stuffing my face with genoise sponge to thrive. And speaking of
thriving, one of Joe Biden's promises to help restore the soul of our nation is to reverse
many of Trump's immigration policies, including ending the Muslim travel ban and reinstating
the program to protect Dreamers. It's going to take a lot of work to undo the damage wrought
by the Trump administration because the president has spent the last four years targeting a
certain type of immigrant. I don't know how to express it, but... When you think of Captain
Planet's Planeteers, it's the, um... Yeah. You get it. This year, Trump used the coronavirus
pandemic to enact what has been called the most sweeping ban on immigration in American
history, putting us on track to admit half the number of immigrants compared to 2016.
- In order to protect our great American workers, I've just signed an executive order temporarily
suspending immigration into the United States. This will ensure that unemployed Americans
of all backgrounds will be first in line for jobs as our economy reopens. Crucially, it
will also preserve our health care resources for American patients. It's a very powerful
order. Yeah, but not as powerful as my order at Chipotle.
Beans. That's it. Just a big ol' plate of beans. And look me in the eye when you serve
them to me. Trump's proclamation initially blocked family-based immigration for siblings
and parents. One of the cornerstones of Trump's agenda has been to end family immigration—the
way the vast majority of immigrants come to the United States. That's largely thanks to
Stephen Miller, who's been dreaming about this since the day he chewed his way out of
his mother. The immigration ban was then expanded to bar most foreign workers from coming to
the U.S. on employment-based visas as well. For comparison, last year alone, the U.S.
issued nearly 200,000 H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, which are largely used in
the tech and medical industries. But now, thanks to the ban, those kinds of workers
are no longer allowed into the country. Companies like Google, Amazon and Intel denounced Trump's
visa restrictions. And you could tell those tech nerds were mad when they released a statement
saying, "Trump's a gormless, addlepated, minuscule troglodyte with a quark-sized cerebrum." They
were so passionate, they released that statement on the back of a Patagonia vest. One of the
most self-defeating parts of Trump's order is that it has hindered young international
doctors from starting their residencies in the U.S. With all of the ways the Trump administration
has mismanaged pandemic response, this is not the time to be short on doctors! But it
is the time for short doctors. Save us, tiny king! Trump isn't stopping at just banning
visas. He's also using the pandemic to further destroy the asylum system. The CDC issued
an order that allowed agents to expel any migrants seeking asylum at the border due
to the threat of coronavirus. Which is crazy because America is already a Jackson Pollock
of COVID. Since March, the U.S. has expelled 200,000 desperate people, turning most away
without due process or even a basic explanation. That is unbelievably evil. If you're going
to expel a bunch of desperate people from this country, make it the people who repost
their friends' birthday wishes on Instagram. My God, we all know it's your birthday, Kim!
We didn't forget. We just don't care. Another way the Trump administration has limited immigration
is through a policy that seeks to keep out anyone who isn't wealthy.
- The Trump administration's new public charge policy went into effect nationwide Monday.
Critics have attacked the new rule as a wealth test.
- The rule will ask immigration officials to evaluate applicants based on dozens of
criteria including English proficiency, credit scores, and whether they receive Medicaid
or food stamps. The public charge rule means that poor immigrants
will be denied green cards if they are deemed likely to use government benefit programs
and wealthier immigrants who are less likely to use those services will be able to get
a green card. You know, it's like that saying, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled
masses... Sike!” Throughout his administration, Trump has argued that putting limits on immigration
is good for the American economy, and that it ensures jobs go to Americans, but that,
much like his claim that he won the presidency, is a lie.
- The ban on temporary work visas will have a significant impact on the American economy.
- Temporary immigrants may not be more than 2% or 3% of the labor force, but they are
critical in many sectors. - Despite its intention to save more jobs
for the American people, some experts argue that the ban could do more harm than good,
citing a positive correlation between immigration and economic growth.
There's absolutely no evidence that stopping immigration boosts our economy. In fact, most
Americans' wages actually benefit from immigrant labor. It's like what they say in the musical
Hamilton, "Immigrants, we get the job done... and also I am very horny for a woman who is
not my wife." The Trump administration's immigration policies have hurt our health care workforce,
further damaged our economy, but more importantly, they're cruel to people who are just trying
to live a better life. These policies are racist, senseless, and need to be reversed.
The Biden-Harris administration is making immigration a priority, which fills me with
incredible hope. The damage is so profound that repairing it will take time, but we have
to fix it. Immigration is one of the things that actually makes America great. Another
thing? Injecting cheese into non-cheese foods. We need to protect both.