In Texas Visit, Sessions Touts Trump's Immigration Priorities

AUSTIN -- In a routine visit to Texas, Attorney General Jeff Sessions touted President Donald Trump's immigration priorities to a room full of political and law enforcement leaders at the offices of the U.S. Attorney in Austin."Donald Trump ran for office as a law-and-order candidate and now he is governing as a law-and-order President," Sessions said. "Under his strong leadership, we are finally getting serious about crime and the rule of law. And we are finally getting serious about illegal immigration."Sessions called Trump's recently released immigration principles - which deal with immigration enforcement and reductions to asylum programs and have been harshly criticized by opponents - a "breath of fresh air.""For decades, the American people have been begging and pleading with our elected officials for an immigration system that is lawful and that serves our national interest," he said. "Now we have a President who leads."He said Trump was determined to build a wall on the southern border that would make it harder for "illegal aliens to break into this country.""The wall will send a message to the world that we enforce our laws," he said.Sessions, who left without taking questions from dozens of reporters at the event, did not discuss the cost of the wall or the logistical difficulties that come on building on the Texas border where much of the land is privately owned and other areas would interfere with natural habitats.Sessions also touted Trump's proposal to hire 10,000 new ICE officers, 1,000 new ICE attorneys, 300 new prosecutors, and nearly 400 new immigration judges. He did not address the costs for these hires or the ongoing hiring difficulty for immigration enforcement positions. The Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog aired major concerns in August about the difficulty of completing Trump's hiring surge.   Continue reading...