"This is just a continuation of Trump's xenophobic, white supremacist policy proposals," Hamad-Lipscombe told Radio Sputnik's By Any Means Necessary on Thursday.
"This isn't merit-based; this proposal is designed specifically to increase the number of white European immigrants coming to the US, and to decrease the number of black and brown folks."
US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday his administration's new plans to reform border security and legal immigration. The new policy would replace long-standing family-based immigration rules with a so-called "merit-based" system that favors individuals for their work skills, wages and proficiency with the English language, among other factors.
However, the plan does not mention how the administration intends to address the matter of undocumented immigrants already living in the US or those known as Dreamers, individuals who were brought to the US by a parent or relative as a child. It also doesn't touch on how the US plans to reduce overall immigration rates.
Speaking to reporters at the Rose Garden, Trump said that the plan would "transform America's immigration system into the pride of our nation and the envy of the modern world." He added that the proposal "builds upon our nation's rich history of immigration, while strengthening the bonds of citizenship that bind us together as a national family."
Hamad-Lipscombe told hosts Eugene Puryear and Sean Blackmon that the language used in the proposal is "vague" and that it will "completely overhaul the asylum process [by making it] more difficult for folks to make claims that they are politically persecuted in their home countries."
"When we look at the criteria, it's based on English proficiency, it's based on an employment offer at a specific wage level or specialty jobs," the deputy director pointed out, noting that the proposal is just "a continuation of the policies we've seen over the last two years."
Trump flogged the issue of undocumented immigration from Latin America during his campaign, notably suggesting that Mexican immigrants were "rapists" and "drug dealers." He hasn't changed since taking office, attempting to enact a variety of travel bans on Muslims, a zero tolerance policy for illegal border crossings and canceling Temporary Protective Status for various countries, among other actions.
"[This proposal] literally whitewashes the types of immigrants that will be able to arrive here," Hamad-Lipscombe stressed.
