President Donald Trump issued a statement Wednesday morning backing Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) new immigration bill which, Trump says, is based on the White House framework on immigration.
The president called on the Senate to support the legislation, writing:
I want to thank Chairman Grassley for introducing legislation based on the White House Immigration Reform and Border Security Framework. The Grassley bill accomplishes the four pillars of the White House Framework: a lasting solution on DACA, ending chain migration, cancelling the visa lottery, and securing the border through building the wall and closing legal loopholes. I am asking all senators, in both parties, to support the Grassley bill and to oppose any legislation that fails to fulfill these four pillars – that includes opposing any short-term ‘Band-Aid’ approach. The overwhelming majority of American voters support a plan that fulfills the Framework’s four pillars, which move us towards the safe, modern, and lawful immigration system our people deserve.
Grassley’s “Secure and Succeed Act,” would appropriate $25 billion for border security including “physical and virtual fencing, radar and other technologies.” It also provides an “opportunity for approximately 1.8 million DACA or DACA-eligible immigrants to earn citizenship.”
"This legislation is a reasonable approach to shielding children illegally brought to our country through no fault of their own while also taking the meaningful steps to ensure nobody finds themselves in the same situation in the future,” Grassley said of the bill. “This is a rare opportunity to fix a real problem and protect the country in a thoughtful and compassionate way. We simply have to correct the loopholes in current law that allow dangerous criminals to enter and remain at large in our country. Our proposal is supported by the President, who's come a long way to reach a compromise.”
“This is the only Senate proposal that has any chance of passing the House and being signed into law,” he added. “If my colleagues are serious about actually finding a real and permanent solution to the DACA crisis, they should be ready and willing to support this compromise,"
In his statement, the president also said that he remained “encouraged by developments in the House toward advancing legislation from Chairmen Goodlatte and McCaul.”
Rep. Bob Goodlatte’s (R-VA) bill, which came out last month, includes funding for a border wall and an end to chain migration. It also allows DACA beneficiaries to obtain 3-year renewable permits to remain in the U.S.
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