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Trump revives push for limits on immigrants bringing family

Trump is giving voice to long-held arguments by immigration "restrictionists" who say the family-based system lets a single immigrant bring countless relatives along.
Credit: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images
US President Donald Trump responds to a reporter's question on domestic violence following a working session regarding opportunity zones following the recently signed tax bill in the Oval Office of the White House on February 14, 2018.

NEW YORK (AP) - The family reunification system that has been central to U.S. immigration law for half a century is suddenly facing talk of a complete overhaul thanks to President Donald Trump.

The president used his State of the Union speech last month to call for limiting immigrants-turned-citizens to sponsoring only spouses and minor children to follow them. The current system allows such citizens to petition for their parents, adult children and siblings, too.

Trump is giving voice to long-held arguments by immigration "restrictionists" who say the family-based system lets a single immigrant bring countless relatives along.

But the system can take decades to navigate. Those who have experienced it and are still waiting to be reunited say they hope that fact doesn't get lost in the debate

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