Trump's new immigration plan does not concern dreamers or undocumented immigrants: NPR

In a speech Thursday at the Rose Garden, President Trump will detail a proposal for immigration that would radically alter the legal immigration system in the United States. But that does not solve the pressing problem of knowing what to do about the 11 million people currently in the country illegally, one of the fundamental problems that drove Trump's presidency.

Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, has been quietly working on the plan for months and briefed Republican senators on Tuesday. A senior administration official, who spoke with reporters on Wednesday on the condition that his name not be used, said the proposal was a "good faith effort" to unify the Republicans. and start a discussion.

"For now, it is the Trump plan and we hope that it will become the Republican plan," said the official.

The plan, as described by the head of the administration, would give priority to merit-based immigration, limiting the number of people who can get a green card by applying for asylum or based on family ties. But this would maintain static immigration levels, without increasing or decreasing the number of people legally allowed to enter the United States each year. Here are the elements of the proposal as described to the journalists:

• Secure the border: Finishing the border wall
• Protect US wages: Stem the flow of low-wage labor
• Attract and retain the best and brightest immigrants
• Prioritize nuclear families: This would limit family members who can come to the country to children and spouses
• Import of labor for critical industries
• Preserving humanitarian values: Keep the asylum system, but limit it.

The announcement comes as the Trump administration struggles to cope with the dramatic increase in the number of asylum seekers looking to enter the United States along the southern border, creating what many call a humanitarian crisis.

Earlier this year, President Trump had declared a national emergency to go against congressional wishes and to transfer funds for the construction of the border-wall that he had promised during his presidential campaign. The assistants of the White House see it as a perfect time to try to reshape the immigration system and strengthen border security, which requires congressional membership.

Democrats are unlikely to support an immigration proposal that does not apply equally to young people who came to the United States when they were children and who are now illegally here, known as the United States. Dreamers name. President Trump has proposed eliminating the Obama era program to give him work permits and protection from deportation, and the program is now stalled pending a lawsuit.

The last time Trump and his White House proposed a redesign of immigration, this included a path to citizenship for dreamers. Although potentially more detailed, this proposal is less comprehensive than previous offers of Trump and his administration.

Asked about this omission, the head of the administration did not answer directly: "I think that many Democrats will want to engage on this subject".

Senate Judiciary Speaker Lindsey Graham, R / SRC, Trump's close ally, said the proposal was deliberately restricted by not addressing the country's concerns.

"I do not think it's designed to get as much democratic support as to unify the Republican Party around border security," said Graham, who called it more of a "negotiating stance." only legislative proposal. "That's what we want in terms of border security, merit-based immigration, and then we'll have to sit down and find common ground on the $ 11 million."

Graham was involved in the last big bipartisan effort to reform immigration in 2013. He was passed by the Senate but failed in the House. Trump's proposal has no chance of becoming law without bipartisan support. And for the moment, it is not clear that it enjoys the support of Republicans and even less of Democrats.

And the proposal may also pose a problem for the right because it does not restrict legal immigration.

"This bill will only get worse." The starting point is not acceptable, "said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Krikorian wants to see the level of legal immigration reduced and worries that Trump 's proposal does not even start calling for a reduction in immigration.

"I think that none of them really understands how important it is for their constituents that it be recognized that the numbers have to go down," Krikorian said. "Is it a real legislative instrument or a campaign statement, and if it is a real piece of legislation, why would they start with a compromise position? says that you start with an aggressive position, why have cuts to legal immigration ".

While insisting that there is a serious proposal, the White House official also suggested questioning the Democrats who run in the presidential elections about this. plan.

This is not currently in the form of legislation and no legislator has been sponsored. "Expressing in Trumpian hyperbole, the head of the administration is touted" This will probably be one of the most detailed immigration proposals ever issued. " , before adding the caveat that he was talking about a wording to be published at a later date and not about what President Trump will reveal in the rose garden.

Mara Liasson, Susan Davis, and Domenico Montanaro of NPR contributed to the writing of this article.