White House Releases Proposal on Immigration Reform

Dallas immigration lawyers – Rabinowitz & Rabinowitz, P.C.

Dallas, TX (Law Firm Newswire) February 16, 2018 – On January 25, 2018, the White House issued its framework on immigration reform with provisions to build a massive border wall, provide legal status for DACA beneficiaries, and also make major changes to U.S. family based immigration eligibility and eliminate the diversity lottery program.

The outline focuses on deterring illegal immigration through the creation of a $25 billion trust fund for a southern border wall and other border improvements, and increased spending on the enforcement side, including funding additional DHS personnel, ICE attorneys and immigration judges.

Sandwiched between the border wall and enforcement only provisions, is providing a path to legal permanent resident status for DACA recipients, provided certain good moral character, education and other requirements are met.

“Offering the carrot of DACA legalization in an otherwise border wall enforcement legislative scheme which also slashes family based immigration eligibility takes a clean DACA fix and mires it in controversial legal immigration policy considerations which complicate the path to the needed 60 senate votes for passage,” said Stewart Rabinowitz of the Dallas law firm of Rabinowitz & Rabinowitz, P.C. “Under current law, family members abroad can qualify to re-unite with U.S. citizens under several visa classifications, with some from certain countries willing to wait more than 20 years to do so. That is hardly chain migration.”

Comprehensive immigration reform is long overdue and would be ripe for debate in Congress with the goal of 60 or more votes in the Senate and a majority in the House needed for passage. Whether this framework once in the form of a bill can clear both houses remains to be seen.