First appearance on Fox: A conservative think tank has outlined how the next Republican Congress could fundamentally overhaul the U.S. immigration system and rise “from the ashes” left behind by the Biden administration.
In a new paper, the Heritage Foundation offers Congress a roadmap, suggesting an overhaul of the U.S. immigration system that goes beyond border security.
In her paper, author Lora Rees, director of Heritage's Border Security and Immigration Center, argues that the immigration system has been dysfunctional for decades. This made legal immigration complicated and time-consuming, while illegal immigration went largely unpunished.
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People line up outside the Immigrant Reticketing Center at St. Brigid School on East 7th Street in Manhattan on January 5, 2024. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“In short, immigrating to the US legally is a slow, frustrating, expensive hassle. As a result, immigrating to the US illegally is faster, easier, and cheaper. And some people will do that – and some have done so for decades – but they'll never come to the United States to start a business or develop new technology.” she says.
She claims the Biden administration has further transformed the immigration system, “erasing the line between legal and illegal immigration.” She accuses the government of abusing humanitarian parole, rendering asylum meaningless and unleashing open border policies.
“America's immigration system was once broken by a lack of enforcement and overly complex legal provisions. Now it's a pile of ashes,” she says.
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But now, as the incoming hawkish Trump administration and its Republican allies in the House and Senate approach the swearing-in, Reese and Heritage have outlined five principles for how to proceed.
“But from the ashes there is a unique opportunity to redesign a new, simpler, fairer, and more manageable immigration system that puts America first and legal immigration second. It’s coming,” she says. “The principles and policies set out in this report could play an important role in shaping just such a new immigration system.”
These principles include maintaining the rule of law, recognizing that the immigration system serves Americans, ensuring America's security, creating a simple and sustainable system, and eliminating incentives to break immigration laws. Included.
A guard escorts an immigration detainee at the Adelanto Detention Center in California on November 15, 2013. (John Moore/Getty Images)
The result is a set of more specific recommendations for Congress to follow, based on each principle. In the area of legal immigration, the roadmap recommends the cancellation of visas for those who violate visa conditions, including those who support terrorist groups. Proof of citizenship should be required to vote. that only citizens should be counted in the census for parliamentary apportionment purposes; And the visa system must ensure that American wages do not remain flat.
The paper supports abolishing the green card lottery, saying employers should be allowed to hire American citizens rather than foreign nationals, and that “assimilation is essential if the United States is to remain a unified nation.” It is claimed that It recommends the introduction of E-Verify and restrictions on due process in immigration.
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Regarding border security, the paper argues that the Border Patrol should have expulsion powers in times of national crisis, and that adequate resources should be dedicated to maintaining public order while ensuring public safety and ensuring deportations. It recommends that it is necessary to detain immigrants. It also argues that the government should not “collude” with non-governmental organizations to increase illegal immigration.
More broadly, the document calls for the simplification of immigration and nationality laws and the repeal of many exemptions and dispensations to reduce the complexity of the process. The group argues that immigration costs and data should be made public, and that there should be a moratorium on new immigration if there is a huge backlog.
Finally, Congress should exclude undocumented immigrants from bank accounts and other benefits, and said lawmakers should “oppose all forms of amnesty, not reward illegal activity or violations of immigration law.” are.
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President-elect Trump has made it clear that he believes immigration and border security will be a top priority for the next administration. He named former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Commissioner Tom Homan as “border czar” and named South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as a candidate to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Many Republicans won the November election by focusing on illegal immigration at the southern border and the Biden administration's response to the crisis.
