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President Trump revealed a newly submitted 70-point enforcement plan to Congress, Sunday, aiming to “finally solve illegal immigration” in the states. This plan is one of the stiffest reforms ever created by an administration.
According to the Washington Times, the plan includes a large rewrite of the law “in order to eliminate loopholes illegal immigrants have exploited to gain a foothold in the United States”. It also involves the President calling for the infamous Mexico border wall and more deportation agents.
The White House also hopes to “crackdown” on sanctuary cities, while providing “stricter limits to chain migration”.
The plan would also give federal agents an easier way to deny illegal immigrants at the border. They would be able to arrest them and hold them if found over the border, and the agency will be able to deport people faster.
These are all issues the White House believes needs to be part of any bill Congress passes to legalize illegal immigrant “Dreamers” who are currently protected by the Obama-era deportation amnesty known as DACA (Deferred Action of Childhood Arrivals).
The goal, the White House said in a statement, is to “ensure major changes to border security, interior enforcement, and the legal immigration system”.
“Anything that is done addressing the status of DACA recipients needs to include these three reforms and solve these three problems,” a senior White House official told The Washington Times. “If you don’t solve these problems then you’re not going to have a secure border, you’re not going to have a lawful immigration system and you’re not going to be able to protect American workers.”
In a joint statement, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the plan “anathema to Dreamers,” to all immigrants in general, and to the “vast majority” of Americans citizens.
The Times reports that currently, Democrats are “uniformly opposed”, and immigrant rights groups are horrified at the president’s demands.
On Monday, other lawmakers said it was time for the president to take a step back.
“It is the job of Congress, not the president, to make legal reforms to our immigration policies,” said Rep. Stevan Pearce, a Republican whose district covers the southern half of New Mexico.
Officials claim that President Trump has other immigration plans to unveil, but they won't be tied to DACA.