The White House is putting the finishing touches to a plan for hard-line immigration reforms in return for supporting a way to fix the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) crisis, an approach that could alienate Democrats and even some in the Republican Party, potentially wrecking the chances of a successful deal.
The top immigration adviser to the Trump administration, Stephen Miller, is crafting the proposal, which would include slashing legal immigration by 50 percent over the next ten years, despite lawmakers from both major political parties in the US having already panned the idea. These principles would likely scupper any chance of making a deal with Democrats, divide the Republican Party, and anger House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer, who indicated that a solution was in reach after talking to President Donald Trump last month.
Trump’s dinner with Pelosi and Schumer is alleged to have annoyed Miller, who wants the President to maintain the harsh stance on immigration he campaigned on last year. The principles have been discussed by Miller, White House officials, and Hill aides in recent days, with the immigration wish-list expected to be sent to Congress soon, sources claim.
Although a White House official says the plan is still subject to change, it could wreck the chances of successful congressional negotiations to try to find a legislative solution to the immigration crisis sparked by the termination of the deferred action program.