White House Appeals to Nativist Base with Anti-Immigrant Proposal

WASHINGTON, D.C. -The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) denounced the latest iteration of the Trump administration's proposal on immigration as destructive and untenable in the following statement:

This proposal isn't a serious effort to reach a deal on the crisis created by the administration when it terminated the DACA program. The dubious relief it offers to a questionable number of Dreamers is dwarfed by its offensive assault on families, the waste of tens of billions of taxpayer dollars on harsh enforcement that does next to nothing to improve national security, and a repudiation of Constitutional principles of due process. This proposal is completely untethered from common sense, decency, or American values.

Rather than legitimately opening negotiations with bipartisan lawmakers who are searching for workable solutions, the president has turned decision making on immigration over to Stephen Miller and other nativist voices in the White House. Trying to use the self-induced crisis of rescinding DACA to promulgate this type of unprecedented proposal is unacceptable. Millions of people's lives are in peril, and thousands of businesses are in jeopardy. This proposal demonstrates once again that the White House cannot be relied upon to negotiate in good faith. Congress must move forward with commonsense reforms that protects Dreamers.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.

Cite as AILA Doc. No. 18012561.