WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is finalizing the details of a set of immigration principles that could upend efforts to come up with a permanent fix for the status of young immigrants who came to the country illegally as children.
The principles, according to people familiar with ongoing discussions, were expected to include elements of proposed legislation that would dramatically reduce legal immigration rates. Also to be pursued was an overhaul of the green card system to prevent extended family members, including siblings and adult children, from joining permanent residents in the U.S.
The White House was expected to endorse principles of the Davis-Oliver bill, which aims to give local law enforcement officials the power to enforce immigration laws and allow states to write their own immigration legislation. The White House was also expected to call for billions of dollars in funding for border security, more immigrant detention beds and immigration judges.
It remained unclear whether the principles, which were expected to be announced in the coming days, would serve as a broad immigration wish-list or specific demands the White House expected in exchange for signing legislation for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA.
Under a phase-out plan announced last month by President Donald Trump, more than 150,000 young people covered by DACA, often known as “Dreamers,” whose permits were set to expire before March 5 were given the chance to submit renewals – provided they arrived by midnight Thursday.