America’s legal immigration system has failed the American people. It prioritizes random chance over merit, extended family connections over economic need, and foreign workers over our own graduates and job seekers—depressing wages, straining public resources, and undermining the principle that immigration should serve the American people.
Our system fails immigrants as well. New analysis of Census data from the Center for Immigration Studies finds that nearly half of non-citizen households rely on federal welfare programs, not because immigrants won't work, but because our system selects for low skills and low wages. Each new wave of low-wage immigration knocks the last wave further behind.
The Americans First Immigration Act addresses both failures directly. By overhauling our outdated legal system, it will increase wages for American workers, reduce the deficit, and give the immigrants we select better opportunities to succeed. It does this by tackling the two fundamental flaws in our current system: unsustainably high numbers and an indefensible selection process.
More than one million green cards are issued every year—twice the level recommended by the Jordan Commission, the last bipartisan federal commission to study immigration levels. Since 2014, the United States has issued about 13 million green cards. To put that in context, only about 13 million immigrants entered the United States at Ellis Island from 1892 to 1954—its entire 62-year history.
If the overall numbers are alarming, so is the process. Every year, a quarter million green cards go to extended family members—with no regard for skills, wages, or the ability to succeed. Every immigrant admitted through chain migration is chosen by other immigrants—not by our government or American employers. Another 55,000 visas are handed out every year through a random lottery.
The Americans First Immigration Act replaces this system with a merit-based model that rewards applicants with job offers in hand, awarding points for education, job skills, English proficiency, and wages. By shifting the selection criteria from family connections and random chance to skills and earning potential, the bill reduces legal immigration by more than 274,000 annually—while preserving pathways for spouses and minor children.
The merit system is paired with real protections for American workers. Employers must hire any equally or better qualified American applicant before offering a job to a foreign worker—and certify that no American has been or will be laid off to make room.
When properly regulated, immigration provides widely shared economic benefits. Because the bill selects high skills and high wages, green card recipients will need fewer government benefits and contribute more in taxes. Two independent economic models project a $3.8 trillion reduction in federal debt and a 2.65 percent increase in per capita GDP over 30 years—growing the economy without burdening taxpayers and giving new Americans a genuine path to success.
To protect against a future administration orchestrating another border crisis, the bill also builds real accountability into the system. For every illegal alien released into the interior, one legal visa is subtracted the following year—ensuring that illegal immigration cannot undermine the integrity of a legal immigration process designed to prioritize American workers.
President Trump’s recent enforcement actions have achieved historic results, and Congress can work alongside President Trump to fix the legal immigration system that has failed Americans for decades. The Americans First Immigration Act would end mass immigration, while preserving the nuclear family and merit-based pathways that give new Americans a genuine chance to succeed. The American people have waited long enough for a legal immigration system that puts them first. Now is the time to deliver.
Rep. Barry Moore represents Alabama’s 1st Congressional District. Born and raised on a family farm in Coffee County, he is a small business owner and veteran who served in the Alabama National Guard and Reserves.
Michael Hough is Co-President of NumbersUSA, the nation's largest grassroots immigration control organization.