Politico reports that Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, is quietly working on a proposal to increase the legal immigration of low- and high-skill workers annually. The report comes from four anonymous sources that spoke to Politico who claim that the proposal has been in the works for months.
The proposal reportedly began development in January through the meeting of Kushner and various advocacy groups. From here, The Hill reports that it continued development among a four-person White House group led by Kushner; the sources claim that the proposal will be submitted to Congress by the summer.
The news of the proposal comes amid Trump’s threats to shut down the southern border and his increased efforts to stop illegal immigration, which he calls a national crisis. However, Trump has previously stated that he supports increased legal immigration levels — a move that would help a United States business community that is lacking skilled workers.
Trump reportedly personally asked Kushner to spearhead the legal immigration effort. In the past, Kushner was successful in creating a criminal justice reform compromise. However, he is still in the midst of creating a Middle East peace plan. Politico reports that a legal immigration plan is a big challenge, as the issue has stumped Congress in recent years.
Under shadow of Trump’s border mania, Kushner works to up legal immigration https://t.co/xHsoYURrhy pic.twitter.com/p4nwbm6yLE
— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) April 3, 2019
Stephen Miller, a senior White House adviser whose hardline immigration views have held back previous immigration plans, has reportedly not attended most of Kushner’s meetings. Not only that, but his approval is required for any legal immigration plan prior to moving to Trump.
Immigration activists are reportedly not happy with the new plan, which they believe is the result of Kushner influencing Trump.
RJ Hauman, government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, believes that it could cause Trump to fail to deliver his campaign promise of immigration crackdown.
“The president must remember that he was elected to implement an immigration system that serves national interests, not business interests. A plan to increase overall immigration is nothing more than a handout to businesses so they don’t have to compete for American workers and raise wages.”
But not all Trump supporters think this way. David Bossie, a Trump confidant from his 2016 campaign, believes it could be a benefit.
“We need to welcome temporary high-skilled immigrants with PhDs, Master’s, and strong educational qualifications to maintain U.S. economic superiority in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”
Select White House officials are even urging Kushner to consider increasing immigration for low-skilled and seasonal workers on top of high-skilled workers.
