Statements on Immigration Legislation: Priorities and Principles

Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Elaine Duke

"When crafting the Administration's immigration principles, the President asked us to focus on measures that will assist the Department of Homeland Security’s law enforcement personnel with what they need to enforce our immigration laws, secure our border, and protect American communities across this country.

"DHS frontline personnel identified many of the principles outlined today, including closing loopholes in our ability to enforce immigration laws and eliminating the magnets for illegal immigration.  I look forward to working with Congress on legislation that will enact many of these common sense and necessary reforms that will inevitably better secure our nation.”

House Representative Nanette Barragan (D-CA, 44th)

“These principles are a slap in the face to Dreamers everywhere who hoped Trump would stop treating them like bargaining chips.

Dreamers need the Dream Act, not another useless round of talk about a border wall, which would be ineffective and wasteful. Time is running out to find a solution for nearly 800,000 young men and women who came here as children. We should be looking for bipartisan areas of agreement. Instead, we got a  cruel wish list of repressive and anti-immigrant measures. 

My colleagues and I will not stop fighting for the Dream Act. Now the real fight begins.”

House Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ, 5th)

“President Trump released a list of immigration principles that include building a border wall, hiring additional ICE officers, discouraging Sanctuary cities from their unconstitutional practices, and eliminating incentives for illegal immigrants who break the law to come here. I am confident that, if enacted by Congress, these actions would secure our open borders and reduce incentives for illegal immigrants to remain in or enter the United States. We are a nation of laws, and those laws must be enforced to defend our national security and protect the sanctity of our statutes. President Trump committed to enforcing these laws if he were to become President, and he is following through with his words and oath of office.

“For too long, Congress has talked about border security to remain in office, but Members have reneged on their promises once back in Washington, D.C. The American people are tired of these flip flops, and we must give them the results they deserve – before any other reforms are enacted.

“One of the major hindrances to accomplishing these goals is the Senate’s 60-vote rule, which allows a minority of Senators to directly block these vital issues of national security from even coming to the floor. I pray that the Senate does the right thing for the good of the nation and removes the 60-vote rule to allow these policies to receive up-or-down votes.”