President Donald Trump officially backed the immigration reform proposal set in motion by various Senate immigration hawks on Wednesday, which includes the proposal presented by Senator Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) that will mirror the immigration priorities in accordance to the bill issued by the White House last month.
Grassley and his colleagues presented the bill to Secure and Succeed Act of 2018, which was announced on late Sunday. The bill is seemingly in alliance with the four-pillar immigration proposal presented by the White House: offering citizenship to more than 1.8 million, illegal immigrants brought illegally into the country as children, including the 800,000 beneficiaries of DACA. In addition, there will be an increase in the budget of $25 billion for border security, including a wall. The bill will also mark an end to the diversity visa lottery and restrict the extended-family chain migration.
“I am asking all senators, in both parties, to support the Grassley bill and to oppose any legislation that fails to fulfill these four pillars – that includes opposing any short-term ‘Band-Aid’ approach,” Trump said. “The overwhelming majority of American voters support a plan that fulfills the Framework’s four pillars, which move us towards the safe, modern, and lawful immigration system our people deserve.”
Trump also cheered legislation introduced by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.) and Michael McCaul (R., Texas) in the House that would similarly implement the White House’s plan.
“At the same time, I remain encouraged by developments in the House toward advancing legislation from Chairmen Goodlatte and McCaul that also enshrines our four pillars,” Trump said.
“The Secure and Succeed Act is our best chance of producing a solution that can actually resolve the immigration issue. We need a bill that can pass the #Senate and pass the House and earn @POTUS’ signature,” McConnell tweeted.
The President argues that enforcing a restrictive immigration framework will toughen interior enforcement and will allow the country to implement the E-verify program. Post implementation of the program will reinforce penalties for illegal immigrants who re-enter the country after being deported. The E-verify program will also allow tracking down tourists and visitors who overstay in the country in hopes of obtaining immigration.
The President is also offering citizenship to over 1.8 million illegal citizens in exchange for the wall program. However, the president has also expressed that he will cancel the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that offers immigration to illegal citizens who entered the country as minors.
The SSA’s current sponsors are exclusively Republicans. Bipartisan alternatives have failed to earn the same level of support. Trump slammed a proposal from Senators Chris Coons (D., Del.) and John McCain (R., Ariz.) that offers to exchange amnesty for more illegal immigrants than presented in the previous bill by the SSA’s where 1.8 million illegal immigrants will be given legal citizenship status in exchange for increased border security. However, the new bill would not include a wall at the Southern Cross Border neither will it end the diversity visa lottery and family-chain immigration program.