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President Trump Reveals Immigration Principles and Priorities

13 Oct

On Sunday, October 8, 2017, President Trump revealed and sent to Congress a list of immigration principles and priorities.  According to a statement issued by Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Elain Duke, many of these principles originated with recommendations from DHS personnel who identified steps that might be a taken toward “closing loopholes in our ability to enforce immigration laws and eliminating the magnets for illegal immigration.”

The President’s list of principles and policies addresses the border wall, unaccompanied children arriving in the U.S., “asylum reform,” sanctuary cities, visa overstays, removal processes and timelines, and other enforcement initiatives as well as his endorsement of a “merit-based” immigration system.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a statement calling on Congress to “swiftly pass these commonsense proposals into law.”  The U.S. Department of State pledged to “do its part by, among other measures, continuing to crack down on passport fraud, making sure all visa applicants are thoroughly screened, and putting pressure on countries to curb illegal immigration at the source.”

For the most part, the principles outlined will require action by Congress.  Because many of the immigration principles are not supported by Democrats or even some key Republicans, it is unclear whether the President ultimately will be able to sign these principles into law.

Foster LLP will monitor and report on legislative proposals and priorities and will provide additional information on any legislative proposals that gain traction via future Immigration Updates© and on our firm’s website at www.fosterglobal.com.