Trump Has the Tools He Needs to Control Illegal Immigration

 By Andrew R. Arthur

For much of his presidency, Joseph R. Biden insisted and was ridiculed for claiming that he “need[e]d Congress to act” to secure the border. President Trump has proved that wasn’t true; we just needed a commander in chief willing to use the powers Congress gave the Department of Homeland Security.

As violent opposition to immigration enforcement surges, Mr. Trump should assess the authorities Congress has given him to deport the millions of unauthorized aliens in the interior. Then he should use them.

We often think of immigration enforcement in terms of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers going to state or local jails to take criminal aliens into custody, or arresting aliens on the streets and in communities. Such arrests are crucial to any enforcement scheme, regardless of the agency, but they aren’t the only way Congress envisioned the immigration laws being enforced.

When Congress offered amnesty to 3 million illegal aliens in 1986, it also made it a crime for employers to knowingly hire aliens who were either here illegally or lacked work authorization. To enforce that mandate, Congress required employers to review the identification documents of new hires to ensure they could work here legally. It also gave immigration officers sweeping new powers to review businesses’ paperwork to ensure they weren’t skirting the law. When Congress offered amnesty to 3 million illegal aliens in 1986, it also made it a crime for employers to knowingly hire aliens who were either here illegally or lacked work authorization. To enforce that mandate, Congress required employers to review the identification documents of new hires to ensure they could work here legally. It also gave immigration officers sweeping new powers to review businesses’ paperwork to ensure they weren’t skirting the law.

https://cis.org/Arthur/Oped-Trump-Has-Tools-He-Needs-Control-Illegal-Immigration