Karl W. Smith, Columnist

Trump’s Timid, Disappointing Immigration Proposal

The president missed his chance to make an offer that Democrats might plausibly support.

May 20, 2019 at 10:00 AM UTC

Karl W. Smith is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. Previously, he was vice president for federal policy at the Tax Foundation and assistant professor of economics at the University of North Carolina.

Not offering any kind of grand bargain.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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Three months ago, President Donald Trump declared his love for legal immigration and said he wanted people coming to the U.S. “in the largest numbers ever.” Last week the administration revealed exactly what he meant by that — and it is disappointing, to say the least.

Trump’s February promise may have sounded odd to those who see him as hostile to immigration. But there are at least two camps in Trump world.