President Donald Trump on Thursday huddled with Republican lawmakers and invited a bipartisan group to the White House next week to try to work out a deal on immigration. Lawmakers have been trying to come up with a plan Trump will agree to that extends legal status for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants, many of whom were brought to the country illegally as children.
“We’re all working in an effort to develop an immigration reform plan that will serve the interests of the American workers and the American families and safety,” Trump said at the top of Thursday’s meeting, which was attended by a handful of Republican senators, including John Cornyn of Texas, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the president is inviting a bipartisan group of senators to the White House next week “to discuss the next steps on responsible immigration reform and to continue that discussion.”
“We’d like to have a deal where we have DACA (Deferred Action for Chilhood Arrivals program) as well as those priorities and principles that we laid out last year met,” she said.
California Sanctuary State Law Leads ICE to Increase Presence, Director Says
The acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told a Fox News host the agency would increase its presence in California in response to the state’s so-called sanctuary state law.
Speaking to Neil Cavuto on Fox News on Tuesday, Thomas Homan said he couldn’t believe California had voted to become a sanctuary state, calling the decision terrible and saying the state wants “to put politics ahead of public safety.” “If the politicians don’t want to protect their communities,” he said, “then ICE will.”
Homan’s remarks were the latest escalation in the battle between the Trump administration and cities and states with so-called sanctuary policies, which seek to protect undocumented immigrants who have run-ins with law enforcement from being handed over to federal authorities.
Homan also told Cavuto he believes sanctuary cities face charges from the Department of Justice and should have their funding withheld. And politicians should be held responsible, he added.
White House Demands for Immigration Bill Rejected by Democrats
Democrats rejected a Trump administration proposal for $18 billion over 10 years for a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, including 722 miles of new and replacement barriers, the latest development in a political battle that could lead to a government shutdown.
Senators from both parties had sought input from the administration on its border-security goals to help advance weeks-long talks that seek to produce a measure that could move through the chamber this month. The White House proposal includes $8.5 billion for interior enforcement and “mission readiness” and $5.7 billion for technology. Democrats in both chambers rejected the plan on Friday.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California sent a letter about the $18 billion border wall request to all House Democrats on Friday. “This is alarming,” she wrote. “We must all speak out.” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley pointed to a statement from earlier this week. He said the administration seeks “critical reforms” to secure the border, including a wall, ending family-based migration and canceling a diversity visa lottery program.
Sessions to Review Practice Used by Immigration Judges to Set Aside Cases Indefinitely
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is launching a review of a docket practice that has been used by immigration judges to set aside cases indefinitely, senior officials from the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
The practice, known as “administrative closure,” has the effect of giving the subjects of those cases permission to remain in the U.S. and keep any benefits they have been given such as a work authorization.
Sessions has certified one such case for his personal review. This allows him to consider the factors of the case and, according to senior DOJ officials, “render a decision that is binding on immigration courts, and everyone across the federal government writ large.”
At Least 1,900 Immigrants Were Rejected Because of Mail Problems
Three months after mail delays disrupted the lives of young immigrants whose applications to renew temporary work permits were wrongly rejected for being late. More than 1,900 people were affected, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services agency said.
As Congress debates the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program which is set to expire on March 5, the rejected applicants have been scrambling to overcome the government’s error. Many have already lost their work permits, causing a cascade of consequences.
San Antonio Woman Admits She Was Paid to House Illegal Immigrants, Investigators Say
Crystal Perez, a 31-year-old woman, is accused of keeping the undocumented immigrants at her home for a price of $50 to $100 for each person.
Investigators said they began investigating Perez in July of 2017. When she was questioned, she admitted to getting paid $50 for each illegal immigrant and $100 for the last person she would pick up, according to arrest papers. She added she would later turn those people over to another smuggler.
She is now charged with smuggling of persons. The case was investigated by the San Antonio Police Department. Neighbors were shocked to hear this could be happening just feet away from them.
America First Poll Finds Widespread Support for Some Tougher Immigration Laws
Above 70% of voters support tougher penalties for undocumented immigrants who have been previously deported or have committed crimes in the U.S. as well as giving law enforcement officials more power to detain undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, according to a poll by America First.
The poll also indicates that 46% of Democrats oppose eliminating the lottery system, while 57% of Republicans support the proposal.
More than three fourths of voters support requirements that employers verify the legal status of their employees, including 66% of Democrats. And 76% would support requirements that immigrants should be able to support themselves financially, including 66% of Democrats.
