Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) joined Breitbart News Daily SiriusXM host Alex Marlow on Wednesday to discuss his recently introduced legislation, “Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment,” the RAISE Act.
The bill, introduced with Sen. David Perdue (R-GA), is designed to cut the level of immigration into the United States in half.
“I contend, and I think most Americans think it’s just common sense that our immigration system should serve the interests and the well-being of American citizens, not of foreigners,” said Cotton. “I wish my fellow man well all around the world, but I serve my fellow citizens in the state of Arkansas and all around the country,” Cotton added.
Cotton discussed the broader economic impact of immigration on American workers, as well as the traditional role of immigration in America. “Our story of immigration in this country,” said Cotton, “is not a story of unbroken immigration at ever-higher levels of immigration. It’s a story of immigration waves followed by immigration pauses to allow those waves to assimilate.”
Pointing out various points during which immigration into America “surged,” Cotton said, “When we have these surges, we often have pauses so people can get on their feet, get jobs, assimilate into our society, and get upward mobility.” The current system of immigration does not allow for such pauses to encourage assimilation, as Cotton explained.
Breitbart News Daily airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern.