Trump Rules Out DACA Amnesty in Spending Bill, Urges End to Chain Migration
Last Thursday, President Donald Trump put an end to rumors that a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) amnesty could be attached to a December omnibus spending bill. (The Hill, Nov. 3, 2017) The President made the assurance shortly after meeting with a group of Republican senators at the White House. (Id.)
The meeting was scheduled to hammer out priorities for immigration legislation being considered by Congress in the upcoming months, according to several senators who were present at the meeting. (Id.) In addition to ensuring that an amnesty for the DACA population would not be included in the must-pass spending bill, the President emphasized the need for Congress to end chain migration. (Id.)
The White House released guiding principles in early October outlining reforms that must be included as part of any legislation addressing illegal alien DACA recipients. (White House Immigration Principles) The three-part plan largely echoes the President’s campaign promises, emphasizes public safety, and reflects the recommendations of the bipartisan Jordan Commission, signed on to by President Bill Clinton. (Id.) “Rather than asking what policies are supported by special interests, we asked America’s law enforcement professionals to identify reforms that are vital to protect the national interest,” President Trump explained. (Id.)
In addition to strengthen the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration law, the principles specifically called for an end to chain migration. (Id.) Chain migration allows a single immigrant to sponsor other immigrants for citizenship, who can then sponsor numerous others themselves, and so on. Ending chain migration would limit sponsorship to only spouses and minor children, significantly reducing immigration’s impact on labor needs, employment, and other domestic conditions. Replacing chain migration with a merit-based system would both lower the overall number of aliens accepted into the country each year, and ensure that those accepted are able to further the United States’ cultural and economic priorities.
FAIR’s Government Relations Director RJ Hauman praised last week’s developments and urged Congress to implement the president’s immigration principles. (Daily Caller, Nov. 3, 2017) “It is critical that prior to even the consideration of a DACA amnesty, Congress must first pass reforms outlined in the Trump administration’s immigration principles – with an end to chain migration being paramount,” Hauman said. (Id.) “Fundamental changes to U.S. immigration laws must be debated openly in front of the American people – not drafted behind closed doors and attached to must-pass legislation,” he added. (Id.)