Trump Administration Immigration Policy Priorities

Executive Summary

The Trump Administration is ready to work with Congress to achieve three immigration policy objectives to ensure safe and lawful admissions; defend the safety and security of our country; and protect American workers and taxpayers.

BORDER SECURITY: Build a southern border wall and close legal loopholes that enable illegal immigration and swell the court backlog.

• Fund and complete construction of the southern border wall.

• Authorize the Department of Homeland Security to raise and collect fees from visa services and border-crossings to fund border security and enforcement activities.

• Ensure the safe and expeditious return of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) and family units.

• End abuse of our asylum system by tightening standards, imposing penalties for fraud, and ensuring detention while claims are verified.

• Remove illegal border crossers quickly by hiring an additional 370 Immigration Judges and 1,000 ICE attorneys.

• Discourage illegal re-entry by enhancing penalties and expanding categories of inadmissibility.

• Improve expedited removal.

• Increase northern border security.

INTERIOR ENFORCEMENT: Enforce our immigration laws and return visa overstays.

• Protect innocent people in sanctuary cities.

• Authorize and incentivize States and localities to help enforce Federal immigration laws.

• Strengthen law enforcement by hiring 10,000 more ICE officers and 300 Federal prosecutors.

• End visa overstays by establishing reforms to ensure their swift removal.

• Stop catch-and-release by correcting judicial actions that prevent ICE from keeping dangerous aliens in custody pending removal and expanding the criteria for expedited removal.

• Prevent gang members from receiving immigration benefits.

• Protect U.S. workers by requiring E-Verify and strengthening laws to stop employment discrimination against U.S. workers.

• Improve visa security by expanding State Department’s authority to combat visa fraud, ensuring funding of the Visa Security Program, and expanding it to high-risk posts.

MERIT-BASED IMMIGRATION SYSTEM: Establish reforms that protect American workers and promote financial success.

• End extended-family chain migration by limiting family-based green cards to include spouses and minor children.

• Establish a points-based system for green cards to protect U.S. workers and taxpayers.