Sen. Mike Lee and several other Republican members of Congress huddled with White House officials on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the planned roll-out of the administration’s latest immigration plan.
The meeting came ahead of the public release of White House advisor Jared Kushner’s immigration proposal which is expected to increase security at the southern border and implement a merit-based system for immigrants attempting to enter the country.
Lee did not share details of the proposal but did tell UtahPolicy.com in an email statement he was encouraged by Tuesday’s presentation.
“Our southern border is in crisis. Not even the most liberal papers on the East Coast are denying that anymore,” said Lee. “We need to fix the loopholes that the cartels and their smugglers are using to take advantage of us and the desperate migrants they are trafficking. The immigration proposals discussed today at the White House not only begin to address our current crisis, but they also make much-needed reforms to the rest of our outdated immigration system. I look forward to seeing the principles outlined today turned into solid legislative text in the coming weeks.”
The Daily Caller reports Kushner’s proposal will address both border security and legal immigration.
The plan aims to reduce low-skilled immigrant workers in place for more high-skilled ones. At the same time, it calls for more physical barriers in parts of the U.S.-Mexico border where high levels of illegal immigration are present. Additionally, Trump’s son-in-law wants to modernize ports of entry, making the passage of illegal material more difficult.
The plan will reportedly be presented to Congress in the coming days.
