A bill from Sens. James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) would explode the level of so-called “chain migration” into the United States despite opposition from a majority of likely voters. Chain migration allows naturalized American citizens to sponsor an unlimited number of foreign relatives for green cards to resettle in the U.S.
Among other things, the bill increases family-based green cards by 32,000 annually. These are green cards that expand chain migration, allowing more foreign nationals to resettle in the U.S. for no other reason than being related to a naturalized citizen.
President Joe Biden, on Tuesday, praised the chain migration expansion:
[The bill] will make legal immigration more efficient and consistent with the values of our nation and our international treaty obligations … for the first time in 30 years … this bipartisan legislation increases the number of immigrant visas for people legally, legally able to come to this country through ports of entry. [Emphasis added]
Already, chain migration makes up nearly 65 percent of all legal immigration to the U.S. — indicating that the nation’s policy is to greatly favor foreign nationals for green cards solely because they are related, often extended family members, to naturalized citizens.
From 2013 through 2022, more than 6.4 million legal immigrants resettled in American cities and towns on green cards thanks to chain migration out of nearly 10 million total legal immigrants who resettled in the U.S. during those nine years.
Almost two million of these chain migrants arrived as extended family members of naturalized citizens, while 4.5 million arrived as either the spouses, children, or parents of naturalized citizens.
In summary, nearly 2-in-3 legal immigrants arrive in the U.S. as chain migrants.
Research suggests that each new legal immigrant to the U.S. sponsors an average of three foreign relatives for green cards through chain migration.
The policy is not only hugely opposed by Republican voters and swing voters, but by all likely voters, the latest Rasmussen Reports survey reveals. A total of 63 percent of likely voters said they believe naturalized citizens should only be allowed to sponsor minor children and spouses for green cards — not all their foreign relatives.
Meanwhile, just 25 percent of likely voters said they support chain migration.
The vast majority of Republicans, 72 percent, and 7-in-10 swing voters, as well as 51 percent of Democrat voters, tell Rasmussen Reports pollsters that they oppose the nation’s current chain migration policy and want it limited to minor children and spouses only.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
