Top officials from the administration of US President Donald Trump have been discussing ways to increase pressure on countries with high numbers of citizens who overstay short-term visas, as part of Trump’s growing focus on immigration heading into his re-election campaign.
The administration could introduce new travel restrictions on nationals from those countries, said two people familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity, because they were not authorized to disclose private conversations.
The idea, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is just one of many under discussion by an administration that is increasingly desperate to satisfy a president who has been angry about the influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border as he tries to make good on his 2016 campaign promises and energize his base going into next year.
Photo: AFP
The ideas have ranged from the extreme — including Trump’s threat to shut down the border and consideration of again separating children from parents — to more subtle tweaks to the legal immigration system, including efforts to clamp down on visa overstays, which, according to the nonpartisan Center for Migration Studies, exceed illegal border crossings.
Plans are also in the works to have US Border Patrol agents conduct initial interviews to determine whether migrants seeking asylum have a “credible fear” of returning to their home countries.
Border patrol agents are the first officials who come into contact with migrants and the thinking is that they would be less sympathetic than asylum officers.
Officials have been considering raising asylum standards and changing the court system so that the last people in are the first to have their cases adjudicated.
The administration has also been weighing targeting the remittance payments sent home by people living in the US illegally.
White House aide Stephen Miller in particular has been pushing US Department of Homeland Security officials to move forward with plans to punish immigrants in the US legally for using public benefits, such as food stamps.
White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said both are topics of focus for the White House.
“It is a top priority for the administration, as has been for two years, to reduce overstay rates for visas and the visa waiver program — and it’s well-known that the administration is working to ensure faithful implementation of immigration welfare rules to protect American taxpayers,” he said.
Trump on Monday suggested that his threat to send migrants to so-called “sanctuary cities” in an apparent effort to exact revenge on Democratic foes was taking effect, even though it remains unclear whether such a plan is feasible.
“Those Illegal Immigrants who can no longer be legally held (Congress must fix the laws and loopholes) will be, subject to Homeland Security, given to Sanctuary Cities and States!” Trump said in a tweet just days after aides said the plan had been shelved.
Neither the White House nor the department responded to requests for comment on what, if anything, had changed on Monday.
It is unclear whether the department has taken any steps to implement the contentious plan.
Lawyers there had previously told the White House that the idea was unfeasible and would be a misuse of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement funds.
The agency is already strapped for cash and resources, and some believe such a plan would actually end up doing the migrants a favor by placing them in locations that make it easier to for them to put down roots and stay in the country.
Trump has gutted the department’s leadership amid frustrations over agency pushback against the White House on immigration matters.
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