The last 24 hours I've heard many do nothing but poo poo his immigration plan as being too mean and hateful, too racist, too white nationalist, too kkk-ish, too nazi...basically too everything that is unholy in the universe. But what I haven't heard is much substantive argument against it.
What do you guys think of this plan, substantively, and could it work? What are the pros and cons? How does it compare to our current immigration policy and culture?
Trump's 10 Point Immigration Plan
1. Build the wall
Trump has continued to stress that Mexico would pay for the wall, despite Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s
tweet on Wednesday insisting that he personally told Trump his nation would do no such thing. Going off script in Phoenix, Trump complimented Peña Nieto and then said, “They don’t know it yet, but they’re going to pay for the wall.”
2. End “catch and release”
Trump says any immigrant in the country illegally who is arrested by law enforcement would be detained until they are deported.
3. Create a deportation task force and focus on criminals in the country illegally.
Trump says he would launch a “deportation task force” that would focus on removing undocumented residents with criminal records, along with those who have overstayed their visas or are using public resources or benefits.
4. Defund “sanctuary cities”
Trump says he would use the federal government to discourage cities from enacting policies that protect or aid undocumented residents. Such places are referred to by conservatives as “sanctuary cities.”
5. Cancel President Obama’s executive actions
The GOP nominee would end the Obama administration’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals immigration policy, better known as DACA, under which roughly half a million young people brought to the U.S. as children have received temporary legal status. Trump would also cancel President Obama’s DAPA program, or Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, which would give similar status to undocumented parents of American citizens. That program has been frozen as it faces court challenges.
6. Extreme vetting. Block immigration from some nations
Trump would block immigration from countries for which proper vetting is not possible. He says that would include Syria and Libya currently.
7. Force other countries to take back those whom the U.S. wants to deport
Trump did not specify how this might work but insisted he would force other nations to take back criminals and other undocumented residents the U.S. wants to deport.
8. Get biometric visa tracking system fully in place
Such a system would include biometric records, such as fingerprints or retinal scans, that could identify individuals with more precision as they enter the country.
9. Strengthen E-Verify, block jobs for the undocumented
The nominee did not offer specifics but said he would strengthen the E-Verify system so that undocumented residents would find it difficult or impossible to get work.
10. Limit legal immigration, lower it to “historic norms” and set new caps
In the past, Trump has indicated that some legal immigration should be curtailed (in August 2015 he proposed a temporary freeze on all green cards). But his Phoenix speech expanded on that idea. The Republican nominee is now calling for a commission to roll back the amount of legal immigration to “historic norms,” a phrase that implies a level that is lower than the current historic high (immigrants relative to total U.S. population). Trump said he would expect new immigration caps to be put in place.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/donald-trumps-10-point-immigration-plan/
