TRUMP ON IMMIGRATION

PART ONE OF SERIES: THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES ON IMMIGRATION REFORM

DONALD TRUMP

Donald Trump’s immigration reform plan is centered on three principles:

1.       A nation without borders is not a nation. 

2.       A nation without laws is not a nation. 

3.       A nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation. 

BORDERS

The most well-known of Mr. Trump’s immigration proposals is to build a wall on the Mexican/American border and ensure Mexico pays for this wall.  Mr. Trump proposes to obtain this payment from Mexico by:

-          Impounding all remittance payments derived from wages earned by workers who are illegally in the US

-          Increase fees on all visas issued to Mexican CEOs and diplomats

-          Increase fees on all border crossing cards

-          Increase fees on all TN visas

-          Increase fees at ports of entry to the US from Mexico

LAWS

Mr. Trump intends to implement the following actions to ensure current American immigration laws are enforced:

-          Triple the number of Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) Officers

-          ICE Officers will work with local gang task forces; ICE Officers must place detainers on any undocumented immigrants they encounter in the jails and prisons

-          Require e-verify for all employers; currently e-verify is an optional government program

-          Mandatory deportation of all foreign nationals with any criminal history

-          Discontinue catch-and-release programs; at present individuals apprehended at the border are detained and then paroled into the US until an immigration hearing.  Mr. Trump proposes detention until the hearing.

-          Individuals who overstay the term of their I-94 card will be subject to criminal penalties

-          Cut off federal grants which fund any sanctuary city programs

-          End birthright citizenship; children of immigrants born on US soil would no longer be US Citizens

SERVE ITS OWN CITIZENS

Mr. Trump contends that our immigration policy has destroyed America’s middle class.  As a result, his reform proposals seek to control the admission of new low-earning workers to the US.  Mr. Trump’s specific policy proposals for long-term reform include:

-          Increase prevailing wages for H-1Bs

-          Require companies to hire American workers first

-          Require immigrants to prove, before entering the US, that they can pay for their own housing, healthcare, and other needs

-          Eliminate the J-1 training visa and replace it with a resume bank for inner city youth

-          Increase standards for admission of refugees and asylum-seekers

-          Immigration moderation: before new green cards are issued to foreign workers abroad, there will be a pause where employers will have to hire unemployed workers already in the US

Please note this post summarizes only the points available on Mr. Trump’s website regarding immigration reform.  Speeches, interviews, or other materials are not captured here.