Donald Trump outlines tough immigration measures

US President Donald Trump, who pledged to help protect young people known as “Dreamers” brought illegally to the United States as children, called on Sunday for money to fund a border wall to be part of any immigration deal.
 

In a list of “principles” laid out in documents released by the White House, the Trump administration also pressed for a crackdown on unaccompanied minors who enter the United States, many of them from Central America.

The plan, which was delivered to leaders in Congress on Sunday night, drew a swift rebuke from Democrats, who are seeking a legislative fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme that Trump ended last month.

“The administration can’t be serious about compromise or helping the Dreamers if they begin with a list that is anathema to the Dreamers, to the immigrant community and to the vast majority of Americans,” said House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

“The list includes the wall, which was explicitly ruled out of the negotiations. If the president was serious about protecting the Dreamers, his staff has not made a good faith effort to do so,” they said in a statement.

The Trump administration wants the wish list to guide immigration reform in Congress and accompany a bill to replace DACA, the Obama-era programme that protected nearly 800,000 “Dreamers” from deportation and allowed them to secure work permits.

Tightening Norms

• Trump is insisting on the construction of a wall across the southern border
• The hiring  of 10,000 immigration agents
• Tougher laws for those seeking asylum and denial of federal grants to sanctuary cities
• The White House is also demanding the use of the
• E-Verify programme by companies to keep illegal immigrants from getting jobs
• End to people bringing their extended family into the US
• A hardening of the border against thousands of children fleeing violence in Central America

Reuters