Donald Trump’s audacious plans for the US immigration system if he takes the Presidency later this year could force nations that have been previously reluctant to accept their responsibilities to take in criminal immigrant deportees. It could also cut down on the number of border crossings and provide more funding to immigration agencies, though some of his proposals may also test the limits of the power of the president.
The presumptive Republican Presidential candidate has suggested cancelling US visas for countries that refuse to take deportees such as China, Haiti and Vietnam, changing banking regulations to prevent billions of dollars in remittances being given to Mexico and increasing some immigration and US visa fees. The former president of the union of naturalization officers the National Citizenship and Immigration Services Council, Kenneth Palinkas, believes that Trump’s plans would counter the previous two administrations’ “liberal mindset” that has seen immigration fees routinely waived, despite such fees funding the already overworked agencies that have to determine which immigrants should be allowed into the United States.
Palinkas says that the controversial billionaire has many good ideas, including having to pay for the benefits of coming to the United States, questioning how someone who could not pay the $1000 citizenship fee would be able to meet the citizenship policy guidelines to begin with.
Center for Immigration Studies director of policy studies Jessica Vaughan predicts that a Trump Presidency would immediately cut down the number of illegal border crossings. However, Trump may come across the same problems as President Barack Obama has experienced with his attempts to legislate immigration reform via executive action.