Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump outlined his 10-point immigration plan in Phoenix yesterday. Local immigration attorney will discuss the plan.
TED SIMONS: COMING UP NEXT ON ARIZONA HORIZON. WE'LL HAVE REACTION TO DONALD TRUMP'S 10-POINT IMMIGRATION PLAN ANNOUNCED LAST NIGHT IN PHOENIX AND A MAJOR SCOTTSDALE ARTS ORGANIZATION RE-BRANDS ITSELF. THOSE STORIES NEXT, ON ARIZONA HORIZON.
ANNOUNCER: ARIZONA "HORIZON" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE FRIENDS OF ARIZONA PBS, MEMBERS OF YOUR PBS STATION.THANK YOU.
TED SIMONS: GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO ARIZONA HORIZON, I'M TED SIMONS. MARICOPA COUNTY ELECTIONS OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO COUNT AN ESTIMATED 50-THOUSAND BALLOTS REMAINING FROM YESTERDAY'S PRIMARY ELECTION, THIS AS 2-RACES OF NOTE CONTINUE TO BE TOO CLOSE TO CALL. IN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT-5, CHRISTINE JONES IS KEEPING HOLD ON A SLIGHT LEAD OVER. ANDY BIGGS, AND IN THE MARICOPA COUNTY RECORDER'S RACE, CHALLENGER AARON FLANNERY STILL LEADS INCUMBENT HELEN PURCELL BY JUST A FEW HUNDRED VOTES. ELECTIONS OFFICIALS SAY THAT IT SHOULD TAKE AT LEAST ANOTHER DAY TO GET ALL OF THE BALLOTS COUNTED.REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DONALD TRUMP OUTLINED HIS IMMIGRATION PLAN IN PHOENIX YESTERDAY. THE SPEECH INCLUDED CALLS FOR BUILDING A WALL ALONG THE U.S. BORDER WITH MEXICO AND FOR WHAT TRUMP DESCRIBES AS EXTREME VETTING OF NEW IMMIGRANTS.
DONALD TRUMP: WITHIN JUST A FEW YEARS, IMMIGRATION HAS A SHARE OF NATIONAL POPULATION IS SET TO BREAK ALL HISTORICAL RECORDS.THE TIME HAS COME FOR A NEW IMMIGRATION COMMISSION TO DEVELOP A NEW SET OF REFORMS TO OUR LEGAL IMMIGRATION SYSTEM IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING GOALS: TO KEEP IMMIGRATION LEVELS MEASURED BY POPULATION SHARE WITHIN HISTORICAL NORMS, TO SELECT IMMIGRANTS BASED ON THEIR LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS IN U.S. SOCIETY AND THEIR ABILITY TO BE FINANCIALLY SELF-SUFFICIENT.
TED SIMONS: JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT TRUMP'S IMMIGRATION IDEAS: LOCAL IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY ELIZABETH CHATHAM OF OSBORN MALEDON AND SETH DRAPER OF THE SALVA-TIERRA LAW GROUP. GOOD TO HAVE YOU BOTH HERE. THANK YOU. WHAT DID YOU TAKE FROM THAT SPEECH LAST NIGHT?
ELIZABETH CHATHAM: I DO AGREE WITH ONE THING HE SAID WHICH WAS CLEARLY WE NEED IMMIGRATION REFORM. WE NEED NEW LAWS. AND I THINK THAT WHAT I WAS LEFT WONDERING WAS WHAT SPECIFICALLY IS HE SAYING. YES, HE DID OUTLINE ELEVEN POINTS BUT THEY WEREN'T REALLY SPECIFIC. MANY OF THE ITEMS THAT HE RAISED THEY'RE ALREADY HAPPENING. THIS ADMINISTRATION AS WELL AS PRIOR ADMINISTRATIONS ARE FOLLOWING THE SPIRIT OF IDENTIFYING PEOPLE THAT WE PRIORITIZE THAT SHOULD NOT BE IN THIS COUNTRY, THAT ARE NOT SAFE IN THIS COUNTRY, IDENTIFYING A CERTAIN TYPE OF SKILLED IMMIGRANTS THAT SHOULD BE HERE AND WE WANT THEM HERE BECAUSE WE WANT THE TOP TALENT IN THE WORLD WORKING IN THE UNITED STATES. SO I FELT LIKE HE WAS DEFINITELY - HE'S SO GOOD AT IDENTIFYING WHAT IS WRONG WITH IMMIGRATION BUT I DON'T THINK HE WAS SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY HIS PLAN WOULD BE.
TED SIMONS: WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE ON THE SPEECH LAST NIGHT?
SETH DRAPER: I THINK MOST THINGS THAT PEOPLE LIKE ABOUT THE PLAN ARE ACTUALLY CURRENTLY IMPLEMENTED BY OUR CURRENT IMMIGRATION LAWS AND PRESIDENT OBAMA. SINCE 2011, THERE'S BEEN A BIG PUSH TO FOCUS ON REMOVING CONVICTED FELONS, VIOLENT INDIVIDUALS, PEOPLE IN CONNECTION WITH CARTELS, GANGS, ETC. IN 2014, OBAMA RELEASED A MEMORANDUM. THERE IT WAS MUCH MORE FORMALIZED GIVEN PRIORITY LEVELS DEPENDING ON WHAT TYPES OF CRIMES YOU HAVE COMMITTED. I WOULD SAY A LOT OF THAT IS ALREADY IN PLACE.I AM NOT SURE OUTSIDE OF SPEAK ABOUT THE WALL THAT DONALD TRUMP IS CONTRIBUTING TO SOMETHING NEW TO THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE.
TED SIMONS: YOU MENTIONED THE WALL HE SAID MEXICO WILL PAY FOR IT THEY JUST DON'T KNOW IT YET. WHAT DO WE MAKE OF THAT?
SETH DRAPER: MAYBE HE PLANS ON RAISING TARIFFS ON MEXICO. MAYBE THAT IS THE TALK ABOUT RENEGOTIATING NAFTA. THAT NAFTA IS GOING TO INCREASE TAXES AND TARIFFS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
ELIZABETH CHATHAM: I DON'T THINK HE REALLY HAS IDENTIFIED SPECIFICALLY WHAT THAT MEANS. I THINK IT WAS KIND OF IRONIC, THOUGH, THAT IN THE CONVERSATION WITH THE PRESIDENT OF MEXICO AND THE PRESS CONFERENCE, HE DIDN'T SEEM TO BRING IT UP ON PAYING FOR THE LAW BUT WHEN HE'S BACK ON U.S. SOIL HE IS COMFORTABLE EXPRESSING WHO WILL PAY FOR THIS WALL. THIS DOESN'T SEEM VERY DIPLOMATIC. IT WAS A VERY CHARGED STATEMENT HE MADE. AND IT PROBABLY -- YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW. I WASN'T IN THE ROOM WHEN THEY HAD THAT CONVERSATION BUT IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN A GOOD IDEA TO ADDRESS IT IN A PUBLIC FORUM TO SHOW THAT THEY WERE GOING TO TRY TO WORK TOGETHER AND MAKE AMENDS AND TRY TO WORK ON THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF BOTH COUNTRIES AND THE BORDER IN GENERAL.
TED SIMONS: DEPORTING ALL UNDOCUMENTED EVEN DREAMERS NO AMNESTY. MUST RETURN HOME AND APPLY, THAT'S PART OF THE PLAN. IS THAT FEASIBLE? CAN YOU DO THAT?
SETH DRAPER: I DON'T THINK SO. PRESIDENT OBAMA'S FIRST TERM HAD SOME OF IT HIGHEST REMOVAL RATES FROM THE COUNTRY THAT WE'VE EVER SEEN AND THAT WAS CAPPED OUT AT A LITTLE MORE THAN 400,000 PEOPLE A YEAR. THERE'S ESTIMATES VERY WILDELY OBVIOUSLY BETWEEN 3 AND 15 MILLION HERE BUT OBVIOUSLY EVEN AT 3 MILLION YOU'RE LOOKING AT MORE THAN A PRESIDENT'S TERM IN REMOVING PEOPLE. SO, NO, I DON'T THINK YOU CAN FORCE THEM ALL OUT OR FEASIBLE DO IT UNDER THE CURRENT SYSTEM.
TED SIMONS: DO YOU AGREE WITH THAT?
ELIZABETH CHATHAM: AGAIN HE WASN'T VERY SPECIFIC BUT HE'S ELIMINATING THE PROGRAM. I THINK YOU ARE LEFT WITH A CONFLICT WITH THE PUBLIC POLICY ARGUMENT WHERE THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS SAID WE ARE NOT GOING TO PENALIZE CHILDREN WHO DID NOT HAVE A DECISION IN COMING TO THE TO UNITED STATES. THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE A QUASI STATUS SO THEY COULD GO TO SCHOOL, GET JOBS, GET DRIVERS LICENSE AND ASSIMILATE AS BEST AS POSSIBLE WITHIN THE EXISTING IMMIGRATION FRAMEWORK BECAUSE IT IS NOT THEIR FAULT.THEY DIDN'T MAKE THESE DECISIONS. THEIR FAMILIES MADE THEM FOR THEM AND RIGHT OR WRONG THEY ARE HERE. THAT WOULD BE A DRASTIC SHIFT TO SAY WE ARE NOW PENALIZING CHILDREN OR WE ARE NOT GOING TO HELP THESE KIDS AND WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, THAT IS A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT IMPACT NOT JUST ON -- I THINK AS A SOCIETY WHERE WE HAVE AN AGING POPULATION, WE NEED TO REPLACE OUR AGING WORKFORCE.WE ARE NOT REALLY DOING THINGS TO ADDRESS THE PEOPLE THAT ARE HERE SO THEY CAN EARN INCOME AND BE ON THEIR FEET AND NOT BE SUBJECT TO DEPENDENCY ON OUR GOVERNMENT.
TED SIMONS: THIS BUSINESS OF EXTREME VETTING ON IMMIGRANTS CHOSEN ON HIS WORDS, MERIT, SKILL AND PROFICIENCY. HOW DO YOU DO THAT? AND IN SOME WAYS IS THAT ALREADY BEING DONE?
SETH DRAPER: THAT IS WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY. IN A LOT OF WAYS THAT IS BEING DONE AT LEAST IN THE BUSINESS ASPECT AND I KNOW LIZ CAN TALK ABOUT A LOT OF THIS A LITTLE BIT LATER BECAUSE SHE PRACTICES A LOT MORE BUSINESS IMMIGRATION BUT THAT IS WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR THAT'S ALREADY IN PLACE. IN REGARDS TO VETTING PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING HERE MAYBE ON VISITOR VISAS OR FAMILY VISAS, ALL THAT STUFF IS ALREADY BEING DONE. YOU ALREADY HAVE TO GET FINGER PRINT, BACKGROUND CHECKS, YOU HAVE TO GET LETTERS FOR CLEARANCE OF WHERE YOU ARE, YOU HAVE TO ALREADY TAKE A CERTAIN TEST SAYING THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO SERVE THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE DOING ANYTHING AGAINST IT. LIKE I SAID EARLIER, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT HE IS TRYING TO CHANGE ABOUT WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY IN PLACE.
TED SIMONS: AND THE IDEA AS WELL YOU CANNOT BELIEVE IN HONOR KILLINGS AND YOU CANNOT BELIEVE IN RADICAL ISLAM IF YOU WANT TO BECOME AN IMMIGRANT IN THIS COUNTRY. FIRST OF ALL, WILL THERE BE A TEST? SECONDLY, IS THERE NOT ALREADY A TEST SIMILAR TO THAT?
ELIZABETH CHATHAM: WELL IT SEEMS LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE IS THIS SELECTION PROCESS HE IS LEANING TOWARD THAT IS A LITTLE MORE NATIVIST. SO PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT LIKE US OR BELIEVE IN OUR SAME FAITH TO PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEN AS DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT AND THAT POLICY IS WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND THE WORLD. YOU ARE SEEING IT IN EUROPE. YOU ARE SEEING IT IN PARTS WHERE THERE HAS BEEN VERY DRAMATIC TERRORIST ATTACKS BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE SCARED.THEY WANT TO HAVE ADDRESS THE ISSUE. THEY WANT TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THIS CONVERSATION IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.IF PEOPLE ARE -- I THINK THAT ONE OF THE ISSUES IS THAT DIFFERENT CONCEPTS ARE GETTING CONFUSED. WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT IMMIGRATION, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A LEGAL WAY OR METHOD FOR PEOPLE TO REMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES OR COME TO THE UNITED STATES. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TERRORISM. IT IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL. THEY ARE NOT ONE IN THE SAME AND DON'T ALWAYS HAVE INTERPLAY AND WHAT HAPPENS ESPECIALLY IN SPEECHES LIKE WHAT WE SAW LAST NIGHT, ISSUES GET CONFUSED. I THINK OUR JOB, OR I HOPE OUR JOB IS, AS EXPERTS IN IMMIGRATION TO SEPARATE IT OUT AND SAY YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT IT AS MORE OF AN ISOLATED ISSUE.
TED SIMONS: THE IDEA OF CATCH AND RELEASE WAS MENTIONED AS WELL AS PART OF THE PLAN. THE BUSINESS OF VIOLENT OFFENDERS NOT BEING ALLOWED ON THE STREET OR RELEASED BECAUSE THERE IS NO PLACE TO PUT THEM HOW DOES THAT DYNAMIC WORK WITH WHAT EXISTS RIGHT NOW?
SETH DRAPER: CURRENTLY THIS ADMINISTRATION IS VERY MUCH FOCUSED ON VIOLENT OFFENDERS AND THERE IS SEVERAL DETENTION FACILITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY TO HOLD THEM BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY THERE IS ONLY SO MUCH SPACE. I KNOW CURRENTLY HERE IN ARIZONA THE DETENTION CENTER IS BUILDING A NEW WING TO HOUSE PEOPLE BECAUSE THAT IS NECESSARY. HOWEVER WE ARE SEEING INTERESTING INTERPLAY BECAUSE THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THEY ARE GOING TO END USE OF PRIVATE DETENTION FACILITIES AND DHS SECRETARY JEH JOHNSON RECOMMENDED THAT DHS SHOULD CONSIDER STOPPING THE USE OF PRIVATE DETENTION FACILITIES. IN ARIZONA, THAT IS ALL WE HAVE FOR DETAINING IMMIGRANTS SO I AM NOT SURE HOW THAT WILL PLAY OUT.IF THAT RECOMMENDATION WILL BE THE ONLY BE IN CERTAIN LOCALES OR RECOMMENDING PARTNERING WITH STATE OR FEDERAL LOCALLY RUN INSTITUTIONS.
TED SIMONS: REAL QUICKLY LAST QUESTION WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME HERE, BUT THE SPEECH, THE VISIT TO MEXICO, DID IT CHANGE THE DYNAMIC ON THE IMMIGRATION DEBATE?
ELIZABETH CHATHAM: I THINK HE LOST HISPANIC REPUBLICAN SUPPORT IN TERMS OF LIKE THE CONFUSION THAT HAPPENED AND GOING TO MEXICO MEETING WITH THE PRESIDENT AND THEN COMING BACK TO THE U.S. THE SAME DAY AND MAKING VERY ALARMING STATEMENTS HE'S MADE IN THE PAST.
TED SIMONS: WE HAVE TO STOP IT RIGHT THERE. GOOD INFORMATION. GOOD TO HAVE YOU BOTH HERE THANKS FOR JOINING US.
