On Sunday evening, Stephan Dinan of The Washington Times published a big scoop: an outline of President Donald Trump's 70-point immigration plan. If these demands are met, Trump is willing to provide amnesty to the 800,000 DACA enrollees.
According to Dinan, Trump's proposal includes the "stiffest reforms ever offered by an administration — including a massive rewrite of the law in order to eliminate loopholes illegal immigrants have exploited to gain a foothold in the U.S." Dinan continues, saying that the plan has "27 different suggestions on border security, 39 improvements to interior enforcement and four major changes to the legal immigration system."
The top demand included in the plan was the border wall that Trump campaigned on, which is expected to cost about $25 billion. Trump seeks for a wall that provides a "meaningful physical barrier on our southern border is vital to prevent infiltration by cartels, criminals, traffickers, smugglers, and threats to both public safety and national security." Currently, the Department of Homeland Security is overseeing the production of several border wall prototypes.
Trump's proposal also includes elimination of federal funding for sanctuary cities, which have become havens for crime. This comes in response to the news that California Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, signed legislation granting California "sanctuary state" status.
Former Sheriff David A. Clarke, who was considered for a position in the Trump administration, summed up the problems with sanctuary cities when he wrote,
The third major tenet of the Trump proposal is a crackdown on loopholes that encourage illegal immigration from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The goal will be to solve the problem of illegal immigration by minors, which is becoming a major issue. In 2014 alone, 60,000 children crossed the border without their parents.
Additionally, under the plan, legal immigration quotas will be significantly reduced. Only skilled immigrants will be accepted under the visa program. In that area, Trump's proposed framework is similar to that of the RAISE Act.
The RAISE Act, which was sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Sen. David Purdue (R-Georgia), was supported by the president. It never gained much momentum in Congress.
To enforce immigration law, the Trump plan encourages expanded detention space for illegal immigrants caught at the border, 300 more immigration judges, 1,000 more immigration lawyers, and 10,000 more ICE agents.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia), the House Judiciary Committee chairman, instantly heralded the proposal as being "serious," going on to say that "we cannot fix the DACA problem without fixing all of the issues that led to the underlying problem of illegal immigration in the first place."
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an immigration hardliner, holds sentiments similar to those of Goodlatte. Concerning the Trump proposal, Sessions said, "This plan will work. If followed it will produce an immigration system with integrity and one in which we can take pride."
The New York Times blasted the proposal as being "heartless and impractical." If they don't approve, Trump must be doing something right.
According to Dinan, Trump's proposal includes the "stiffest reforms ever offered by an administration — including a massive rewrite of the law in order to eliminate loopholes illegal immigrants have exploited to gain a foothold in the U.S." Dinan continues, saying that the plan has "27 different suggestions on border security, 39 improvements to interior enforcement and four major changes to the legal immigration system."
The top demand included in the plan was the border wall that Trump campaigned on, which is expected to cost about $25 billion. Trump seeks for a wall that provides a "meaningful physical barrier on our southern border is vital to prevent infiltration by cartels, criminals, traffickers, smugglers, and threats to both public safety and national security." Currently, the Department of Homeland Security is overseeing the production of several border wall prototypes.
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| Trump at the U.S.-Mexico border in Laredo, Texas |
Trump's proposal also includes elimination of federal funding for sanctuary cities, which have become havens for crime. This comes in response to the news that California Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, signed legislation granting California "sanctuary state" status.
Former Sheriff David A. Clarke, who was considered for a position in the Trump administration, summed up the problems with sanctuary cities when he wrote,
Sanctuary cities provide a safe haven for criminals who prey not only on law abiding Americans and legal immigrants, but other people who are in the country illegally and may not be engaged in criminal activity. The criminals know that these crime victims are reluctant to notify police to report them for fear of being found to be in the country illegally themselves. The violent criminal gang from El Salvador, MS-13 for example primarily preys upon the Salvadoran immigrant community and others in the United States.
The third major tenet of the Trump proposal is a crackdown on loopholes that encourage illegal immigration from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. The goal will be to solve the problem of illegal immigration by minors, which is becoming a major issue. In 2014 alone, 60,000 children crossed the border without their parents.
Additionally, under the plan, legal immigration quotas will be significantly reduced. Only skilled immigrants will be accepted under the visa program. In that area, Trump's proposed framework is similar to that of the RAISE Act.
The RAISE Act, which was sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Sen. David Purdue (R-Georgia), was supported by the president. It never gained much momentum in Congress.
To enforce immigration law, the Trump plan encourages expanded detention space for illegal immigrants caught at the border, 300 more immigration judges, 1,000 more immigration lawyers, and 10,000 more ICE agents.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia), the House Judiciary Committee chairman, instantly heralded the proposal as being "serious," going on to say that "we cannot fix the DACA problem without fixing all of the issues that led to the underlying problem of illegal immigration in the first place."
Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an immigration hardliner, holds sentiments similar to those of Goodlatte. Concerning the Trump proposal, Sessions said, "This plan will work. If followed it will produce an immigration system with integrity and one in which we can take pride."
The New York Times blasted the proposal as being "heartless and impractical." If they don't approve, Trump must be doing something right.
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