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With nod to Trump, Jeb Bush reveals plan to address illegal immigration

 
Published Aug. 3, 2015

Jeb Bush today outlined a six-part plan to address illegal immigration and improve border security -- a move designed to get ahead of an issue Donald Trump has put at the forefront of the presidential race.

1. A forward-leaning Border Patrol with the flexibility to deploy resources to meet threats.
2. Use new technologies to achieve continuous surveillance of the border.
3. Bolster border infrastructure and improve access to federal lands.
4. Require electronic verification of employment eligibility.
5. Identify and send home the people who are entering the United States and overstaying their visas or otherwise violating the terms of their admission
6. Crack down on sanctuary cities that undermine efforts to enforce immigration laws.

"I believe that for those already in the country, we need to put in place a rigorous path that requires individuals to pass a thorough criminal background check, pay fines, pay taxes, learn English, obtain a provisional work permit and work, not receive federal government assistance, and over an extended period of time earn legal status," Bush wrote. "But any plan to address the status of illegal immigrants must be accompanied by a robust strategy to improve border security. Securing the border is possible, but it will require Washington to move beyond divisive rhetoric."

Bush's plan is described here.