WASHINGTON – While
The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in response to Donald Trump’s address about immigration policy.
“This evening, Donald Trump laid out a coherent and workable strategy for addressing the decades-long problem of mass illegal immigration, and for reforming our dysfunctional legal immigration policies. But even more important than the details of the plan itself, Trump laid out the most fundamental principle for true immigration reform: The policy exists to protect and serve ‘the wellbeing of the American people,’ and ‘protect all aspects of American life.’
“We now have a fully fleshed-out plan for American voters to evaluate and compare with the positions of his opponent and the policies of the current administration. It includes proposals for securing our borders, preventing people from overstaying visas, eliminating the magnet of jobs for illegal aliens, and ending benefit and rewards for illegal immigration. These have been the driving forces behind decades of uncontrolled illegal immigration.
“The plan also stressed the primacy of the national interest in legal immigration policy, calling for a merit-based system of selecting immigrants who are most likely succeed economically and assimilate into the economic and cultural mainstream.
“Trump redefined the parameters of the immigration debate in this evening’s speech in ten clearly defined policy goals. It is now up to his political opponents and congressional leaders of both parties to explain to the American people why their interests should not be the paramount consideration in immigration reform, why our borders should not be secured, why sanctuary cities should not be outlawed, why laws should not be enforced uniformly, and why the magnet of jobs should not be cut off.”
