Adding to his immigration ban, Trump is still determined to build the wall along the border with Mexico and to end the diversity visa lottery.
President Trump’s immigration reform could come into law as early as January 2018 if his administration continues its attempt to bulk up security along the Mexican border and to put an end to the diversity visa lottery. News coming from D.C. states that Trump hopes to sell these more oppressive immigration policies by offering the chance for reform on the DACA Dreamers, who he has tasked Congress with saving from deportation by March 2018.
Speaking on Wednesday, President Trump stated that there were six types of border structures outlined by his administration and that he may be presented with them soon.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.
On Tuesday, White House Chief of staff John Kelly told lawmakers that the administration would soon present a list of must-haves and that a deal could be reached by January.
"We are calling on Congress to fund the border wall, which we're getting very close to," Trump said.
"And we'll be building the wall and we'll be doing lots of other things."
Read more: Irish DACA families and immigration centers speak out
Trump administration officials say they are starting a campaign to turn public opinion against policies that allow legal immigrants to bring spouses, children and other family to the US. https://t.co/1jEmXs9Fdg
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 14, 2017
Top of these list of demands are believed to be a means by which to protect the Dreamers - those who were brought into the country illegally as children - as well as the controversial wall on the US border with Mexico and the end to the green card lottery.
The last two demands will be difficult for Trump to sell to Democrats with House minority speaker Nancy Pelosi previously threatening to close down government on December 22 if a reform on DACA was not established before the holidays.
While the threat was not followed through on, Trump stated last month that "the Democrats maybe will want to shutdown the country cause they want people flowing into our country."
"I want people coming into our country, but I want to vet those people, and I want to vet them very carefully," he said of his extreme vetting measures, "because we don't want to have radical Islamic terrorism in this country, and we don't want to have crime in this country.
Read more: Trump immigration bill slammed as “racist” by Irish American leaders
Will Trump in securing immigration reform for the Dreamers? Image: iStock.
"They're not putting their best people in the lottery. It's common sense," Trump claimed on Wednesday.
"They put their worst people into the lottery,and that's what we get in many cases. So that's not going to be happening anymore. We're going to end it. So we're ending the lottery."
The President’s comments appear to show a lack of understanding that the governments of other countries do not put forward candidates to the diversity lottery but that any of their citizens who wish to apply can do so themselves online for free.
If picked for the lottery system, they are then vetted through a process that could take up to two years before being awarded with a green card.
Trump administration considers tearing families apart in new immigration crackdown https://t.co/sy2JZqN2gc pic.twitter.com/gIY8dfu5rV
— HuffPost Canada (@HuffPostCanada) December 22, 2017
Trump has instead recommended a merit-based system only allowing entry to those with high levels of education who already earn high sums of money, while putting an end to the ability of their family to move to the US with them.
While the end to the green card lottery would affect Irish citizens in a small way, the number of green cards awarded to the Irish through this system each year is minimal compared to those from other countries. Many Irish could also benefit from a merit-based system at the expense of those from more impoverished countries seeking a move to America in the quest for a better life, more employment opportunities or to better their life circumstances.
Did you think Trump will succeed in introducing his immigration reform? How would you like the US to accept immigrants in the future? Lottery system or a merit-based system?
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