Two representatives for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) held a live online broadcast on Friday, expressing “firm opposition” to the new White House immigration reform framework – its stark change from what the President campaigned on – and called for supporters to help them kill it.
FAIR government relations director RJ Hauman called the framework a “sea change” from President Donald Trump’s campaign platform.
The newly released “White House Framework on Immigration Reform and Border Security” would give a pathway to citizenship for an estimated 1.8 million illegal aliens in the United States over 10-12 years. $25 billion is allocated to a “trust fund for the border wall system, ports of entry/exit, and northern border improvements and enhancements.” The visa lottery would be ended and reallocated “to reduce the family-based “backlog” and high-skilled employment “backlog.””
“It looks like a complete disaster because it’s the same problem you always have. Once you do an amnesty it sends a clear message to the rest of the world that the borders are open,” said FAIR research director Matt O’Brien. He said the other problem is that it would not be 1.8 million people amnestied, but many times that.
O’Brien said that it’s not clear from the proposal if legislation based on this framework would change the cap number on people coming into the country or if they were simply changing the composition of those who come.
Hauman said that FAIR finds the possibility that this framework is a baseline “alarming.” He said that if that is the case, “This can only get worse.”
O’Brien agree with Hauman that “this is 1986 all over again,” referring to the Immigration Reform and Control Act passed under then President Ronald Reagan. He said the bill attracted thousands of illegal aliens and thousands of fraudulent applications to INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services). He added that the promised immigration law enforcement and border security provisions never materialized.
O’Brien pointed out that border security provisions of the subsequent Secure Fence Act have not materialized either.
The research director then highlighted provisions not included in the framework, that FAIR would like to see included: making e-verify mandatory, doing away with sanctuary cities, and clear definition of funding for a border wall. O’Brien said there was lack of clarity as to how the trust fund money identified in the framework would be used and whether enough of it would be available for border wall construction.
“It’s a disaster waiting to happen,” said O’Brien.
Hauman petitioned supporters to share with the organization their perspectives on the framework. He added that the organization knows that a wall is not the only immigration law enforcement needed.
“FAIR is in firm opposition to this framework right now,” said Hauman. “We have made the White House known of our concerns.”
Hauman then remarked that the advocates for illegal aliens have been rejecting the framework, portraying it as a “white supremacist wishlist.” He said that it illustrates the Democrats of today having moved dramatically far to the left, as many prominent dems voted for the Secure Fence Act of 2006.
O’Brien predicted that the current Democrats will never agree to immigration enforcement at this point in time – they will not come to the table in good faith.
“This isn’t a DACA fix anymore,” declared Hauman. “Simply what we have here is another mass amnesty bill and with your help we’re gonna kill it.”
https://www.facebook.com/FAIRImmigration/videos/10156216873624474/
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