Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have criticized the immigration framework proposed by President Donald Trump. It complains that Trump’s attempts to give amnesty to ‘Dreamers’ – the young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as minors – will leave ‘gaping holes’ that would enable a new wave of illegal immigration.
On Friday, Chris Crane, the president of the National ICE Council, sent a letter to Trump, in which he said that the White House’s four-point plan that proposed legislation for a border wall, changes to current legal immigration, and legalization for the Dreamers, fell short in many ways, failing to deal with the so-called ‘sanctuary cities’ and allowing businesses to keep hiring undocumented immigrants.
Crane said any immigration legislation that does not include provisions on sanctuary cities, immigration detainers, and the smuggling of minors into the US, cannot be supported by his organization, which represents 7500 US Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees. The National ICE Council endorsed Trump during his bid for the Presidency in 2016. While it has not withdrawn that support, it alleges that the security promises made at that time are being undermined by Trump’s current attempts at immigration negotiation.
The White House has not commented on the letter. Trump called his proposal a compromise and that stricter enforcement, including crackdowns on sanctuary cities, would come later. But, Crane says they should be at the forefront of current negotiations and doubted that any further enforcement would happen should the legislation succeed.