Immigration Legislation Should Stress Border Security and Enforcement, Not Incentivize Bad Behavior

President Donald Trump has kept the promises he made to voters about immigration.

At his direction, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security have resumed enforcement of our immigration laws. They are going after sanctuary cities that harbor criminal aliens; stepping up removals of illegal aliens; hiring more border agents and immigration judges; intensifying security efforts along the border; ending the unconstitutional Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program; and restricting the entry of aliens from terrorist safe havens who pose a danger to our national security.

In other words, Trump is faithfully executing the law as written. He is the first president in decades with the political courage to take a needed stand on our illegal immigration problem.

That said, the immigration framework released by the White House last week raises a number of serious questions. For example, the proposed deal would provide amnesty and citizenship to nearly 2 million illegal aliens (and probably more), as well as citizenship to another 4 million aliens who aren’t even in the country yet.

Much to Like in Immigration Framework

Yet there is much good in the framework, too. The president wants a $25 billion “trust fund” for “the border wall system, ports of entry/exit, and northern border improvements and enhancements.”

Although the idea of a “trust fund” sounds good, there really isn’t such a thing under federal law. The only acceptable way of ensuring the funding for enhanced border security that Trump wants (and the country needs) is if Congress provides an immediate appropriation—not just an authorization for future funds—of $25 billion.

Read the rest from Hans von Spakovsky HERE.