DHS Issues Statement in Support of the Secure and Succeed Act
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DHS Issues Statement in Support of the Secure and Succeed Act

DHS issued a statement in support of the Secure and Succeed Act, contending that it “secures the border, ends chain migration, cancels the visa lottery, and finds a permanent solution for DACA.

The Secure and Succeed Act Secures the Border, Ends Chain Migration, Cancels the Visa Lottery and Finds a Permanent Solution for DACA

Release Date:
February 14, 2018

The Secure and Succeed Act includes recommendations made by the frontline officers of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This bill is a reasonable compromise that follows the framework laid out by the President.

Pillar # 1—Secures the Border

  • The Secure and Succeed Act secures our borders, will stop cartels, will save lives, safeguard the safety of our communities, and will curb the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
    • $25 billion trust fund for the border wall system which includes border infrastructure and technology.
    • Appropriates additional funds to hire new DHS personnel, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attorneys, immigration judges, federal prosecutors, and other law enforcement professionals.
    • Enacts Kate’s Law, which will help the men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE secure the border, enforce the immigration laws within the interior, and make our nation and our communities safer.
    • Deters visa overstays with prompt removal.
      • In addition to those who enter illegally, visa overstays account for roughly 40 percent of all illegal immigration in the United States.
    • Permanently authorizes the electronic employment verification system (E-Verify).
    • Ends “catch and release” loopholes that create another pull factor for illegal immigration and protects public safety.
    • Ensures the detention and removal of criminal aliens, gang members, violent offenders, and aggravated felons.
    • Institutes much needed hiring and pay reforms to ensure the recruitment and retention of critically-needed personnel.
    • Ensures synthetic drugs (fentanyl) are severely inhibited from entering the country.
      • ICE seized over one ton of fentanyl in 2017, nearly 5 times last year’s total.
      • CBP seizures of fentanyl has significantly increased over the last three years, from approximately 2 pounds seized in 2013 to 1,485 pounds seized in 2017.
    • Addresses the 2001 Supreme Court decision in Zadvydas v. Davis which generally requires DHS to release aliens with final orders of removal (including criminals and serious felony offenders) into American communities if they haven’t been deported within 180 days of the date their removal period begins.
      • In Fiscal Year 2017, more than 2,300 aliens were released because of that court decision, and more than 1,700 of those were criminal aliens.

Pillar #2—Ends Chain Migration

  • The bill ends chain migration, which has been the primary source of low-skilled legal immigration into the United States, has depressed wages and job opportunities for comparably skilled American workers.
  • The Secure and Succeed Act protects and promotes the nuclear family by limiting family based immigration to spouses and unmarried children under 18.
  • A recent joint Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security report found that roughly three in four individuals convicted of international terrorism-related charges between September 11, 2001 and December 31, 2016 were foreign-born, some of whom were able to enter the United States solely on the basis of family ties and extended-family chain migration.
  • Randomly selecting foreign nationals to resettle within the United States based on distant relations is incompatible with a security-based approach to immigration.

Pillar #3—Cancels the Visa Lottery

  • Eliminates the outdated visa lottery that randomly grants 50,000 visas per years, is susceptible to fraud and has been exploited by individuals who threaten our national security.
  • In 2004, the State Department’s Deputy Inspector General warned that the visa lottery program “contains significant threats to national security as hostile intelligence officers, criminals, and terrorists attempt to use it to enter the United States as permanent residents.”

Pillar #4—Finds a Permanent Solution for DACA

  • The Secure and Succeed Act provides a legal status for DACA recipients and other DACA-eligible illegal immigrants, adjusting the time-frame to encompass a total population of approximately 1.8 million individuals.
    • 10-12 year path to citizenship, with requirements for work, education and good moral character.
Topics: Border Security, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration Enforcement
Keywords: immigration reform
Source: AILA Doc. No. 18021543.
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