WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s new immigration proposal began drawing fire from all sides Thursday with Democrats dismissing it as a campaign statement and some conservatives arguing it…
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s new immigration proposal began drawing fire from all sides Thursday with Democrats dismissing it as a campaign statement and some conservatives arguing it doesn’t go far enough.
Crafted by Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and adviser, the proposal would create a system to prioritize highly skilled immigrants, but it glosses over concerns Trump has raised for years about immigrants who are already in the country illegally as well as a spike inasylum seekers. The president declared a national emergency at the border three months ago.
White House officials described the plan as an effort to rally Republicans heading into the 2020 election. Trump called on Democrats to work with the administration but said he would go it alone if they chose not to.
“We will get it approved immediately after the election, when we take back the House, keep the Senate and, of course, hold the presidency,” Trump said in a White House Rose Garden event asadministration officials applauded. “One of the reasons we will win is because of our strong, fair and pro America immigration policy.”
Trump said the proposal includes a trust fund, paid for by border fees, to finance border security. The plan would change the nation’s asylum system, he said, screening out “meritless claims” while expediting others. It was not immediately clear how the administration would decide which is which.
“Under this plan, the border will finally be fully and totally secure,” Trump said.
The proposal – which was scant on details – is silent on key issues:
• A solution for “Dreamers,” the roughly 3.8 million immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. Trump terminated a program in 2017 that shielded about 800,000 of them from deportation, but federal courts have left the program intact for now. Democrats said they need a fix for Dreamers to support broader immigration changes. Trump did not mention the program in his remarks Thursday.
• A plan to deal with the nation’s estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants, which Trump has threatened to deport since before taking office. Trump’s 2016 campaign focused heavily on illegal immigration, and his centerpiece response was his proposed wall along the U.
