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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Ron Johnson stated on January 12, 2018 in an interview: About 1.1 million people legally enter the U.S. each year as permanent residents -- \"65 percent of that is some kind of chain migration; 22 percent is diversity lottery, ‘asyling,’ refugees; only about 14, 15 percent has anything to do with work.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" half-true/6479cbc723379f0ee49c269b0b9790b7.jpg.\\") ![\\"half- true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * Immigration * Labor * Legal Issues * Foreign Policy * Race and Ethnicity * Wisconsin * Ron Johnson ![\\'Marchers](\\" Marchers demonstrated in Milwaukee for a \"Day Without Latinos, Immigrants and Refugees\" on Feb. 13, 2017. (Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) ![\\"Tom](\\" By Tom Kertscher February 2, 2018 # How legal immigrants to U.S. break down by \'chain migration,\' diversity- refugees-asylum and work President Donald Trump drew boos when he said during his first State of the Union address that under what Republicans call \"chain migration\" -- and Democrats refer to as family reunification -- a \"single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives.\" PolitiFact National rated his claim Mostly False. Lawful permanent residents (green card holders) can petition for a spouse and unmarried children to come to the United States; and U.S. citizens can also petition for married children, parents and siblings. But neither permanent residents nor citizens can directly petition for an aunt, uncle, cousin, niece, nephew, in-law relative or grandparent. Nevertheless, Trump’s remark underscores a broader claim made by U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., on the ways in which legal immigrants enter the United States. Johnson’s claim is different than Trump’s, but helps provide a clearer picture of the sources of legal immigration. Johnson’s claim On Jan. 12, 2018, more than two weeks before the State of the Union, Johnson was interviewed about immigration on Wisconsin Public Television’s \"Here and Now\" show. He said he wants to limit \"the abuse of chain migration\" and then made a four-part statistical claim, telling host Frederica Freyberg: From my standpoint, we have got to start closing the loopholes created by bad law, bad legal precedent that incentivize people to come to this country illegally. We have to limit \"chain migration\" to a common-sense level. Right now, Frederica, we let about 1.1 million people in this country legally -- in terms of permanent, legal residence -- every year. Sixty-five percent of that is some kind of \"chain migration\"; 22 percent is diversity lottery, \"asyling\" and refugees. Only about 14, 15 percent has anything to do with work. That is a crazy system, when you have literally millions -- probably hundreds of millions of people want to come to this country -- we can’t assimilate all those people. We’ve got to limit and we’ve got to limit it on a merit-based system. So, we’ve got to fix our system. Chain migration, Johnson continued, \"allows an immigrant to allow in their parents, their children -- but what ends up happening is, it does chain, where those people can bring in their children, their parents; and all of a sudden, one individual and you’ve got cousins and adult children and adult siblings -- that’s what we need to limit to something that just makes common sense.\" As we’ll see, three parts of Johnson’s four-part claim are essentially on target. But a major part of his claim -- saying that 65 percent of legal immigration is through \"chain migration\" -- is misleading. Johnson’s breakdown To back Johnson’s claim, his office cited data from from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security yearbook of immigration statistics. The first part of his claim, on the total number of legal immigrants -- 1.18 million in 2016 -- is correct. As for the other three parts, here are figures for 2016, the latest year available, based on how Johnson breaks down legal immigrants: \"Chain migration\" 804,793 -- 68% #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" JD Vance stated on August 16, 2024 in a post on X “Kamala Harris wants to give $25,000 to illegal aliens to buy American homes.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Madison Czopek • August 22, 2024 Diversity lottery, refugees, asylees and other 240,819 -- 20% Work-related 137,893 -- 12% (Diversity lottery allocates visas to individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to U.S.; a refugee is a person outside his or her country of nationality who is unable or unwilling to return to his or her country of nationality because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution; an asylee is a person who meets the definition of refugee and is already present in the United States or is seeking admission at a port of entry.) So, Johnson’s claim -- based on the way he breaks down immigration groups -- is within several percentage points on the second and third categories for 2016. Moreover, those two percentages have been roughly stable for years, experts told us. But his reference to \"chain migration\" -- a relatively new term in the Washington lexicon that the New York Times says has been \"weaponized\" to sway public opinion \-- is misleading in alluding to the immigration of extended-family members. Individuals in that category are admitted to the United States based on family relationships, as opposed to the other two categories Johnson cites. But in round numbers, only 120,000 of the 800,000 immigrants that Johnson lists as \"chain migration\" were not the spouses, children or parents, according to Stephen Legomsky, a Washington University law professor emeritus and immigration law specialist. That means extended-family members, based on Johnson’s categories, make up only 10 percent of the 1.18 million total legal immigrants. Syracuse University political science professor Elizabeth Cohen, whose specialties include immigration, told us: This idea that an immigrant receives a visa and all of a sudden five or 10 close and distant relatives are being pulled in on a chain is completely unrepresentative of how our immigration system actually works. Our rating Johnson says about 1.1 million people legally enter the U.S. each year as permanent residents -- \"65 percent of that is some kind of chain migration; 22 percent is diversity lottery, ‘asyling,’ refugees; only about 14, 15 percent has anything to do with work.\" He’s correct on the total number, and his breakdown of two of the categories is essentially on target. But to say that 65 percent come through \"chain migration\" -- which typically refers to the extended-family members of an immigrant in the United States -- is misleading. The vast majority of individuals in that group are spouses, children or parents, not more distant relatives. Johnson’s statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details -- our definition of Half True. Share the Facts 2018-02-02 16:27:25 UTC PolitiFact ![\\"PolitiFact\\"](\\" logo-big.jpg\\"/) 4 1 7 ![\\"PolitiFact](\\" halftrue.jpg\\") PolitiFact Rating: Half True About 1.1 million people legally enter the U.S. each year as permanent residents -- \"65 percent of that is some kind of chain migration; 22 percent is diversity lottery, ‘asyling,’ refugees; only about 14, 15 percent has anything to do with work.\" Ron Johnson U.S. senator, R-Wis. opioids ![](\\" In an interview Friday, January 12, 2018 2018-01-12 Read More info Related fact check: Would Trump bill have kept his grandfather and Melania from immigrating to U.S.? (And you, too?) #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Wisconsin Public Television, Ron Johnson interview (4:35), Jan. 12, 2018 Email, Sen. Ron Johnson spokesman Ben Voelkel, Jan. 22, 2018 U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Table 7 of \"Yearbook of Immigration Statistics 2016\" PolitiFact National, \"Arkansas senator says of 1 million green cards issued, few are employment-based,\" Feb. 14, 2017 PolitiFact National, \"Trump, Republican senators present bill to reform legal immigration,\" Aug. 2, 2017 Wall Street Journal, \"The Curious History of ‘Chain Migration,’\" Jan. 19, 2018 PolitiFact Florida, \"Marco Rubio says only 6.5 percent of immigrants ‘come here based on labor and skill,’\" Jan. 16, 2013 PolitiFact National, \"Donald Trump\'s misleading claim about chain migration, unlimited sponsorship of distant relatives,\" Jan. 31, 2018 New York Times,\"Donald Trump’s State of the Union Address,\" Jan. 30, 2018 Interview, Cato Institute immigration policy analyst David Bier, Jan. 29, 2018 USA Today, \"What is \'chain migration\' and why does President Trump want to end it?\" Jan. 11, 2018 Center for Immigration Studies, \"Immigration Multipliers Trends in Chain Migration,\" September 2017 Email, Syracuse University political science professor Elizabeth Cohen, whose specialties include immigration, Jan. 29, 2018 Interview, Washington University law professor emeritus and immigration law specialist Stephen Legomsky, Jan. 29, 2018 Washington Post Fact Checker, \"A White House chart on ‘chain migration’ has numbers that add up, but it lacks context,\" Jan. 25, 2018 Interview, Center for Immigration Studies director of research Steven Camarota, Jan. 26, 2018 PolitiFact Wisconsin, \"Would Trump bill have kept his grandfather and Melania from immigrating to U.S.? (And you, too?),\" Jan. 19, 2018 The Hill, \"What is chain migration?\" Jan. 25, 2018 New York Times, \"The Facts Behind the Weaponized Phrase ‘Chain Migration,’\" Jan. 26, 2018 Interview, Brookings Institution vice president and director of governance studies Darrell West, Jan. 29, 2018 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Tom Kertscher slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 19, 2023 in an Instagram post: A wind turbine must “spin continually for over four years just to replace the energy it took to manufacture it.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • July 28, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on July 15, 2023 in un video en TikTok: \"Biden elimina ‘tráfico sexual de menores’ como una de las prioridades del Departamento de Justicia de su gobierno”. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • July 25, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 17, 2023 in an Instagram post: \"Florida to ban mRNA vaccines as credible evidence of biological weapons.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • July 18, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a Facebook post: Video suggests Canada wildfires were deliberately set to advance “smart cities” push. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 30, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a video: Women vaccinated against COVID-19 face \"unknown side effects that could perpetually go down through the lineage\" to their children. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom 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2023 in a Facebook post: “Official statement — Putin assassinated in the Kremlin!” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Tom Kertscher • August 22, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 8, 2023 in a Facebook post: \"The federal government has just declared a major food shortage emergency\" in six states. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 16, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Steve Kirsch stated on August 8, 2023 in a blog post: COVID-19 vaccines have killed 676,000 Americans. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Tom Kertscher • August 14, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 6, 2023 in a viral image: California passed a law “reducing penalties for oral, anal sex with willing children.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" 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2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a Facebook post: Video suggests Canada wildfires were deliberately set to advance “smart cities” push. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 30, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a video: Women vaccinated against COVID-19 face \"unknown side effects that could perpetually go down through the lineage\" to their children. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 29, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 25, 2023 in a Facebook post: As of Aug. 25, \"Luis Rubiales has resigned as the president of the Spanish Football Federation.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 29, 2023 ### How legal immigrants to U.S. break down by \'chain migration,\' diversity- refugees-asylum and work * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: A video shows a body that Israel embedded with a bomb exploding during a Palestinian funeral procession. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 11, 2024 in a post: “ESPN has fired Shannon Sharpe.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Gideon Hess • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: Former President Donald Trump admitted during the Sept. 10 presidential debate that he “blew up the Nord Stream pipeline.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 10, 2024 in a Facebook post: Patron, Don Julio and Pink Whitney tequila recalled because they contained fecal matter. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • 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About 11 million people legally enter the US each year as permanent residents 65 percent of that is some kind of chain migration 22 percent is diversity lottery asyling’ refugees only about 14 15 percent has anything to do with work