Championing merit-based immigration and expanding skilled work visa limits – not "closing down the borders" but allowing "people who are hungry and eager to work" vs. "refugees" – Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said "there are some people we've got to leave on the other side."
"We've admitted about 60,000 people from Afghanistan, and my point there is, if they speak English and were helping us as translators, they should stay in Afghanistan and be the founding fathers of their country and bring a Western appeal and Western ideals to Afghanistan, and become our friends in Afghanistan," Paul told "The Cats Roundtable" on 970 AM-N.Y. "Instead, we've moved them all over here.
"We've moved 65,000 people from Iraq. A couple of those moved to my hometown and, unfortunately, got caught up in extremism and jihadism and plotted to buy stinger missiles to attack America."
Sen. Paul rebuked the obstruction of Democrats on immigration initiatives in Congress during the Trump administration, saying his proposed bills to expand skill-based EB visas could not get a vote for a debate in the Senate.
"I think we have to be careful about people who come here to attack us – I'm kind of with the president on some of these countries: We do need more scrutiny," Paul said. "If you've got one name, and you want to immigrate from Pakistan or Afghanistan, I'd put you at the bottom of some list, and you're probably not coming here if you don't have the appropriate paperwork.
"But If we know who you are, and you're coming with peaceful intentions, and you can prove who you are, and you're willing to work, I think we need more of that."
Paul's argument for expanded immigration is with the idea that can boost the economy by strengthening the U.S. workforce, making America more skilled and productive.
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