IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House said Tuesday [1-16-18] that the current immigration system poses security risks to the U.S., as lawmakers returned to Washington to restart negotiations on immigration and government spending following the holiday weekend…
Congressional aides say they are expecting another short-term deal, which would fund the government for a few weeks at current levels, to come to the table, but they caution that is by no means guaranteed. Aides said the prospects for any immigration deal had diminished after senators last week said President Donald Trump told lawmakers in a meeting that he wanted to stop immigration from ‘shithole countries.’…
The Trump administration issued a report Tuesday saying that nearly three-quarters of those convicted of terrorism-related charges in the U.S. since 2001 have been foreign-born. A senior administration official said that supports the administration’s argument that the current family-based system, in which immigrants can sponsor relatives to be admitted, as well as the lottery program should end.
Still, the report cited less than a dozen cases that appeared to be linked to either of those policies. The official declined to say what percentage of the 549 individuals convicted of terrorism-related charges had arrived as part of either program.”
-Natalie Andrews and Louise Radnofsky, “White House Calls Immigration System Risky as Funding Deadline Looms,” The Wall Street Journal online, Jan. 16, 2018 02:15pm