Republicans Want $30 Billion For Trumps Wall, 10,000 New Border Agents

The battle over immigration reform is now in full swing, as Congress is negotiating a deal that includes continued relief for DACA recipients in exchange for other reform concessions.

The GOP is at least trying to keep up appearances with the base via a newly introduced bill, filling it with a lot of long-desired reforms. The only question now is if they’ll stand strong or make more concessions on their agenda as they have in the past.

As reported at the Daily Mail, House Republicans unveiled a $30 billion bill Wednesday that would provide the funding necessary to build the wall Trump promised his supporters. It would also boost border security by hiring 10,000 new border agents.

Republicans are asking for a major tech upgrade along the current wall, which includes expansion and modernization of the various entry points. The bill also calls for the hiring of 5,000 more Border Patrol agents and 5,000 more Customs and Border Patrol officers.

This is part of the compromise the GOP’s offering Democrats in exchange for granting a three-year renewal to DACA recipients. The silver lining is that DACA concession isn’t indefinite, but could be reexamined and ultimately ended after 3 years should the political will be there to do so.

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Reps. Raul Labrador and Martha McSally will are introducing the bill on Wednesday. It comes after yesterday’s meeting with President Trump, in which he outlined his major goals for this immigration reform push.

The president has said that for him to sign whatever crosses his desk, he’ll need to see some of his border security desires met, including the wall. Some of the best news is that he also wants to tackle the hopelessly broken visa system, which he wants to switch to merit-based.

But he also said, “What I approve is going to be very much reliant on what the people in this room come to me with. I have great confidence in the people. If they come to me with things that I’m not in love with, I’m going to do it because I respect them.”

Also packaged in the GOP bill is a requirement for employers to utilize the E-Verify system to confirm workers’ immigration statuses and criminal history. Sanctuary cities and states are also targeted, as the law would officially grant the Justice Department the authority to withhold grants and government funds from those who ignore federal immigration laws.

On top of the merit-based visa program, Trump also has said he must be allowed to end the Diversity Lottery program, which has resulted in chain migration that does nothing positive for the nation. If the president gets his wish, the program would end, and extended family members of citizens and visa holders would no longer be able to ride their relatives’ coattails into the US.

“The U.S. is the most generous and welcoming nation in the world, accepting on average more than a million new immigrants every year,” the lawmakers behind the legislation wrote this morning in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. “But a steady influx of low-skilled labor has depressed wages for workers here at home. That is not putting America first. These programs have opened our doors to terrorists.”

All in all, there’s some really good stuff within the bill. While the temporary DACA concession is unfortunate, it can be revisited down the line, assuming Trump is victorious in 2020. The ending of the lottery, the wall, E-Verify, stripped funding from illegal sanctuaries, and the merit-based visa system are all excellent proposals that would greatly benefit the nation.

We’ll just have to wait and see how outraged the Democrats and media are at the proposals, as they’ll do everything they can to concern-troll the GOP into conceding on these issues. If Republican lawmakers like their jobs, they’d do well not to budge on any of the reforms.

Source: Daily Mail