Donald Trump has made headline after headline with his remarks on immigrants and immigration, but now his presidential campaign has put together its “Immigration Reform That Will Make America Great Again” plan. And, for one thing, yes, Mexico will be paying for that wall.
See: Six things Trump doesn’t know about immigration
The document kicks off with three “core principles” — that a borderless country “is not a nation”; that one without laws “is not a nation”; and that one that does not serve its own citizens is, again, “not a nation” — before getting down to the nuts and bolts.
Among the bullet points that can be drawn out on first perusal of the immigration-reform scheme:
• Trump wants a wall constructed along the U.S.’s southern border. (“The Mexican government has taken the United States to the cleaners. They are responsible for this problem, and they must help pay to clean it up.”)
• If Mexico cannot be made to pay outright for this secured border, a Trump administration would seek to impound remittances and increase visa fees for Mexican corrporate executives and diplomats.
• As president, Trump would triple the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
• Trump would end “birthright citizenship.”
• A Trump administration would raise the prevailing wage paid to holders of H-1B visas.
• As president, Trump would put in place a nationwide a nationwide online worker-eligibility — a.k.a., e-verify — program.
• American workers would be given top priority under Trump’s plan, which states that nearly 40% of black teenagers are unemployed today, while nearly 30% of Hispanic teenagers are unemployed. (“The influx of foreign workers holds down salaries, keeps unemployment high, and makes it difficult for poor and working class Americans — including immigrants themselves and their children — to earn a middle class wage.”)