Thread: Alabama's Sessions, Trump bond on immigration, trade

John Bazemore/Associated Press
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, right, stands next to Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, in February as Sessions speaks during a rally in Madison.

Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump and Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions would seem to have little in common.

Sessions is a polite Southerner from small-town Alabama, while Trump is a brash New Yorker and creature of the big-city spotlight. Sessions likes to spend weekends out of cellphone range in a rural corner of his home state. Trump retreats to his lavish Mar-a-Lago compound where he's easily accessible on social media or for a television appearance.

Yet the two have become kindred political spirits in the 2016 election, drawn together by a shared belief that some of their Republican Party leaders are selling out their own voters on immigration, as well as on trade. It's an argument Sessions has made for years in relative obscurity and one Trump has ridden to the top of the Republican presidential primary field.

"I do think the Republican Party needs to recognize that it is in danger of promoting an agenda that's contrary to the wishes of its own voters," Sessions said. "This can be a death blow."

As the first — and to this point, only — senator to endorse Trump, Sessions has taken on the role as Washington gatekeeper for the GOP front-runner. He's assembled the candidate's foreign policy leadership team and sends other experts Trump's way. When Trump name-drops Sessions on the campaign trail, it elicits cheers from crowds who have come to see his endorsement as affirmation of their candidate's hard line on immigration.

"When it came to immigration, which is a very big issue for me, and trade, which is an enormous issue for me, I felt he's the most respected person in Washington," Trump said of Sessions during an interview with The Associated Press.

It's an unlikely turn in the political spotlight for the 69-year-old Sessions, who has hardly been viewed as a man of significant political influence during his nearly 20 years representing Alabama in the Senate. He's the longest-serving Republican in the Senate without a committee chairmanship or leadership post. And he's increasingly been out of step with his party's leaders on major issues, including his staunch opposition to the sweeping Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.

If Sessions has been known for anything outside of his home state in recent years, it's been as the target of immigration advocates, who have branded him a nativist for his support of tough enforcement policies and limiting legal immigration. He was instrumental in derailing President George W. Bush's attempts at immigration overhauls and was a leading opponent of the 2013 "Gang of Eight" bill that passed in the Senate but was blocked in the House.

"He's the most ardent, anti-immigrant restrictionist that you can find," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigration group America's Voice. "He comes from the kick-them-out-and-keep-them-out camp."

Sessions sees Trump's rise as validation of his belief that Republicans' political success depends not on expanding its appeal with the fast-growing Hispanic voting bloc, but on siding with working-class voters who view job competition from immigrants and trade agreements as a threat to their own economic security.

The senator dismisses the notion that he and Trump's views are geared only toward white voters, saying he's "morally" confident that he's aligned with Hispanics and African-Americans as much as anyone else.
"You bring in more labor, you're competing directly with them," Sessions said of minorities.


Despite their shared political philosophy, the senator's endorsement didn't come easy for Trump.

Sessions had met the billionaire only once, when the real estate mogul testified at a 2005 Senate hearing on funding for a United Nations renovation project. But shortly after announcing his candidacy, Trump began courting Sessions' support and seeking policy guidance from the senator's staff.

The two men also began speaking by phone. In September, they held a 90-minute meeting at Session's hideaway office on Capitol Hill, where Trump told the senator flatly that he was in the race to win it. In January, trusted Sessions' aide Stephen Miller left Capitol Hill to serve as a senior policy adviser to Trump.

Sessions grew fond of Trump but resisted endorsing him. Sessions had never publicly backed a candidate in a GOP primary before and preferred to make the case for his views through data-driven policy papers. It's not unusual for his aides to distribute lengthy documents to Senate offices, or for Sessions' himself to push materials into a colleague's hand.

A turning point came in January, when the senator joined other lawmakers and prominent conservatives at a private retreat in Sea Island, Georgia. The exclusive gathering was held just a few weeks before primary voting began, as the reality that Trump's candidacy wasn't fading began to set in with many Republicans.

Sessions became incensed as one high-profile speaker in particular railed against Trump, warning that he would be destructive for the party. Though Sessions wasn't scheduled to speak, he stood up unexpectedly and berated his colleagues for being the ones putting the party's future at risk by failing to fully understand their voters' economic concerns.

"I just felt like, we've got to battle for the heart and soul for the Republican Party," Sessions said. "Are we going to reattach with the middle class, working Americans or are we going to continue to kowtow to the donor class?"

About a month later, Sessions joined Trump on stage at a rally in Madison, Alabama, and announced his endorsement. Two days later, Trump won Sessions' home state by more than 20 points.

Sessions' endorsement stunned some conservatives, who assumed that if he did back a candidate, it would be Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. But Sessions suggested he didn't see his Senate colleague as a viable nominee, noting that his endorsement came after Trump defeated Cruz in the South Carolina primary.

Trump often brags that legions of lawmakers and Washington powerbrokers are constantly reaching out to him. But he conceded that Sessions made him work for his support and needed to be sure the first-time politician was a true-believer on immigration and trade.

"It wasn't easy," Trump said. "I put in a lot of work. Not so much for the endorsement — I put in a lot of work on the subjects. And then the endorsement came much more naturally. I put in a lot of work on the subject matter."

If Trump does become the Republican nominee — he's on a narrow path to getting the delegates he needs, but could still face the unpredictability of a contested convention — some see Sessions has a natural fit in the administration if the businessman goes on to be president.

"This certainly raises his stature," said Alabama Democrat Roger Bedford, who lost narrowly to Sessions in a 1996 Senate race. "If he wants to be anything more than a U.S. senator, if that is indeed his motive, he made the right move by endorsing early and enthusiastically."

Sessions has publicly played down the notion that he's angling for a high-ranking post in a potential Trump administration. And those close to him — including Trump — say he seems to harbor little ambition beyond representing the people of Alabama.

"I hope they understand how committed he is to them," Trump said.

http://www.timesdaily.com/news/elect...fc27ba4ae.html

"He's the most ardent, anti-immigrant restrictionist that you can find," said Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigration group America's Voice. "He comes from the kick-them-out-and-keep-them-out camp."

Sessions sees Trump's rise as validation of his belief that Republicans' political success depends not on expanding its appeal with the fast-growing Hispanic voting bloc, but on siding with working-class voters who view job competition from immigrants and trade agreements as a threat to their own economic security.

Here are just two examples of why I admire and respect Sen. Sessions. It is very hard to understand why there are not more that think in terms like this in Congress.

Jeff Sessions needs to boot out Jeh Johnson and become the head of DHS, border patrol and immigration FRAUD!

Do not detain...deport within 24 hours. Turn them right back around. They came through Mexico and they can go back through Mexico. Start dumping millions of people back to Mexico and it will stop! All minors should be handed over into the care and custody of THEIR Embassy and let them pay to find their parents and deport them. We are not the world's babysitter. NOT US Taxpayers.

Clear out our jails and prisons...load them up on military C130s and deport them.

IMMIGRATION REFORM THAT WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

The three core principles of Donald J. Trump's immigration plan
When politicians talk about “immigration reform” they mean: amnesty, cheap labor and open borders. The Schumer-Rubio immigration bill was nothing more than a giveaway to the corporate patrons who run both parties.

Real immigration reform puts the needs of working people first – not wealthy globetrotting donors. We are the only country in the world whose immigration system puts the needs of other nations ahead of our own. That must change. Here are the three core principles of real immigration reform:

1. A nation without borders is not a nation. There must be a wall across the southern border.

2. A nation without laws is not a nation. Laws passed in accordance with our Constitutional system of government must be enforced.

3. A nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation. Any immigration plan must improve jobs, wages and security for all Americans.

Make Mexico Pay For The Wall
For many years, Mexico’s leaders have been taking advantage of the United States by using illegal immigration to export the crime and poverty in their own country (as well as in other Latin American countries). They have even published pamphletson how to illegally immigrate to the United States. The costs for the United States have been extraordinary: U.S. taxpayers have been asked to pick up hundreds of billions in healthcare costs, housing costs, education costs, welfare costs, etc. Indeed, the annual cost of free tax credits alone paid to illegal immigrants quadrupled to $4.2 billion in 2011. The effects on jobseekers have also been disastrous, and black Americans have been particularly harmed.

The impact in terms of crime has been tragic. In recent weeks, the headlines have been covered with cases of criminals who crossed our border illegally only to go on to commit horrific crimes against Americans. Most recently, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, with a long arrest record, is charged with breaking into a 64 year-old woman’s home, crushing her skull and eye sockets with a hammer, raping her, and murdering her. The Police Chief in Santa Maria says the “blood trail” leads straight to Washington.

In 2011, the Government Accountability Office found that there were a shocking 3 million arrests attached to the incarcerated alien population, including tens of thousands of violent beatings, rapes and murders.

Meanwhile, Mexico continues to make billions on not only our bad trade deals but also relies heavily on the billions of dollars in remittances sent from illegal immigrants in the United States back to Mexico ($22 billion in 2013 alone).

In short, the Mexican government has taken the United States to the cleaners. They are responsible for this problem, and they must help pay to clean it up.

The cost of building a permanent border wall pales mightily in comparison to what American taxpayers spend every single year on dealing with the fallout of illegal immigration on their communities, schools and unemployment offices.

Mexico must pay for the wall and, until they do, the United States will, among other things: impound all remittance payments derived from illegal wages; increase fees on all temporary visas issued to Mexican CEOs and diplomats (and if necessary cancel them); increase fees on all border crossing cards – of which we issue about 1 million to Mexican nationals each year (a major source of visa overstays); increase fees on all NAFTA worker visas from Mexico (another major source of overstays); and increase fees at ports of entry to the United States from Mexico [Tariffs and foreign aid cuts are also options]. We will not be taken advantage of anymore.

Defend The Laws And Constitution Of The United States

America will only be great as long as America remains a nation of laws that lives according to the Constitution. No one is above the law. The following steps will return to the American people the safety of their laws, which politicians have stolen from them:

Triple the number of ICE officers. As the President of the ICE Officers’ Council explained in Congressional testimony: “Only approximately 5,000 officers and agents within ICE perform the lion’s share of ICE’s immigration mission…Compare that to the Los Angeles Police Department at approximately 10,000 officers. Approximately 5,000 officers in ICE cover 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam, and are attempting to enforce immigration law against 11 million illegal aliens already in the interior of the United States. Since 9-11, the U.S. Border Patrol has tripled in size, while ICE’s immigration enforcement arm, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), has remained at relatively the same size.” This will be funded by accepting the recommendation of the Inspector General for Tax Administration and eliminating tax credit payments to illegal immigrants.

Nationwide e-verify. This simple measure will protect jobs for unemployed Americans.

Mandatory return of all criminal aliens. The Obama Administration has released 76,000 aliens from its custody with criminal convictions since 2013 alone. All criminal aliens must be returned to their home countries, a process which can be aided by canceling any visas to foreign countries which will not accept their own criminals, and making it a separate and additional crime to commit an offense while here illegally.

Detention—not catch-and-release. Illegal aliens apprehended crossing the border must be detained until they are sent home, no more catch-and-release.

Defund sanctuary cities. Cut-off federal grants to any city which refuses to cooperate with federal law enforcement.

Enhanced penalties for overstaying a visa. Millions of people come to the United States on temporary visas but refuse to leave, without consequence. This is a threat to national security. Individuals who refuse to leave at the time their visa expires should be subject to criminal penalties; this will also help give local jurisdictions the power to hold visa overstays until federal authorities arrive. Completion of a visa tracking system – required by law but blocked by lobbyists – will be necessary as well.

Cooperate with local gang task forces. ICE officers should accompany local police departments conducting raids of violent street gangs like MS-13 and the 18th street gang, which have terrorized the country. All illegal aliens in gangs should be apprehended and deported. Again, quoting Chris Crane: “ICE Officers and Agents are forced to apply the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Directive, not to children in schools, but to adult inmates in jails. If an illegal-alien inmate simply claims eligibility, ICE is forced to release the alien back into the community. This includes serious criminals who have committed felonies, who have assaulted officers, and who prey on children…ICE officers should be required to place detainers on every illegal alien they encounter in jails and prisons, since these aliens not only violated immigration laws, but then went on to engage in activities that led to their arrest by police; ICE officers should be required to issue Notices to Appear to all illegal aliens with criminal convictions, DUI convictions, or a gang affiliation; ICE should be working with any state or local drug or gang task force that asks for such assistance.”

End birthright citizenship. This remains the biggest magnet for illegal immigration. By a 2:1 margin, voters say it’s the wrong policy, including Harry Reid who said “no sane country” would give automatic citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants.

Put American Workers First

Decades of disastrous trade deals and immigration policies have destroyed our middle class. Today, nearly 40% of black teenagers are unemployed. Nearly 30% of Hispanic teenagers are unemployed. For black Americans without high school diplomas, the bottom has fallen out: more than 70% were employed in 1960, compared to less than 40% in 2000. Across the economy, the percentage of adults in the labor force has collapsed to a level not experienced in generations. As CBS news wrote in a piece entitled “America’s incredible shrinking middle class”: “If the middle-class is the economic backbone of America, then the country is developing osteoporosis.”
The influx of foreign workers holds down salaries, keeps unemployment high, and makes it difficult for poor and working class Americans – including immigrants themselves and their children – to earn a middle class wage. Nearly half of all immigrants and their US-born children currently live in or near poverty, including more than 60 percent of Hispanic immigrants. Every year, we voluntarily admit another 2 million new immigrants, guest workers, refugees, and dependents, growing our existing all-time historic record population of 42 million immigrants. We need to control the admission of new low-earning workers in order to: help wages grow, get teenagers back to work, aid minorities’ rise into the middle class, help schools and communities falling behind, and to ensure our immigrant members of the national family become part of the American dream.

Additionally, we need to stop giving legal immigrant visas to people bent on causing us harm. From the 9/11 hijackers, to the Boston Bombers, and many others, our immigration system is being used to attack us. The President of the immigration caseworkers union declared in a statement on ISIS: “We've become the visa clearinghouse for the world.”

Here are some additional specific policy proposals for long-term reform:

Increase prevailing wage for H-1Bs. We graduate two times more Americans with STEM degrees each year than find STEM jobs, yet as much as two-thirds of entry-level hiring for IT jobs is accomplished through the H-1B program. More than half of H-1B visas are issued for the program's lowest allowable wage level, and more than eighty percent for its bottom two. Raising the prevailing wage paid to H-1Bs will force companies to give these coveted entry-level jobs to the existing domestic pool of unemployed native and immigrant workers in the U.S., instead of flying in cheaper workers from overseas. This will improve the number of black, Hispanic and female workers in Silicon Valley who have been passed over in favor of the H-1B program. Mark Zuckerberg’s personal Senator, Marco Rubio, has a bill to triple H-1Bs that would decimate women and minorities.

Requirement to hire American workers first. Too many visas, like the H-1B, have no such requirement. In the year 2015, with 92 million Americans outside the workforce and incomes collapsing, we need companies to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed. Petitions for workers should be mailed to the unemployment office, not USCIS.

End welfare abuse. Applicants for entry to the United States should be required to certify that they can pay for their own housing, healthcare and other needs before coming to the U.S.

Jobs program for inner city youth. The J-1 visa jobs program for foreign youth will be terminated and replaced with a resume bank for inner city youth provided to all corporate subscribers to the J-1 visa program.

Refugee program for American children. Increase standards for the admission of refugees and asylum-seekers to crack down on abuses. Use the monies saved on expensive refugee programs to help place American children without parents in safer homes and communities, and to improve community safety in high crime neighborhoods in the United States.

Immigration moderation. Before any new green cards are issued to foreign workers abroad, there will be a pause where employers will have to hire from the domestic pool of unemployed immigrant and native workers. This will help reverse women's plummeting workplace participation rate, grow wages, and allow record immigration levels to subside to more moderate historical averages.

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positio...gration-reform