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Frank Cagle, Columnist 4:03 a.m. ET March 1, 2017

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Since the North American Free Trade Agreement has been in effect for more than two decades, is it so unreasonable to suggest that it would benefit from a review and some amendments? The free trade fanatics go berserk at the very suggestion that our trade relations with Mexico need adjustment.

Mexico has had 23 years to benefit from open-border trade, yet its citizens still make the dangerous trek to try to illegally immigrate to the United States. That's because more than 50 percent of the Mexican population exists below the poverty level. Working conditions for American manufacturing plants in Mexico have done little to raise the standard of living for the average Mexican. At $1 an hour and no benefits, is it any wonder that American companies relocate there and ship their products back to us?

Could not the NAFTA treaty be amended to encourage Mexico to do more to curb illegal immigration? Why is it incumbent on the United States to try to stop illegal immigration when the country from which immigrants are fleeing is doing so little to improve the standard of living and seemingly making little effort to stop it?

Instead of President Donald Trump trying to make them pay for a wall, how about requiring that Mexico do more to make immigration less attractive? The original NAFTA agreement called for better labor and environmental standards in Mexico, which makes the U.S.more competitive. Mexico has largely ignored the requirements. Enforce them. Demand strengthening border security on the Mexican side. All of these issues could be dealt with in a renegotiation of NAFTA.

NAFTA also prohibited Mexican-based companies fromimporting parts and raw materials, from China for instance, another provision that is being ignored. Components are supposed to be from North America.

Those who would like to see comprehensive immigration reform have to realize that it will not happen until the American people are convinced we finally have control of the border. Previous reforms allowing permanent residency opened the floodgates for even more illegal immigration. A wall, a virtual wall, deporting illegals who are gang members and criminals, cooperation from the Mexicans via a re-negotiated NAFTA -- the American people have to be confident that any reform gets control of illegal immigration for good.

America needs legal immigrants from Mexico. Set up a system that allows people to come and work and then go home legally. Make it easier for legal immigration to occur from our nearest neighbor. But politically, demonstrated by Trump's major campaign theme, no solutions will be found until there is a system in place subject to the rule of law. And it starts with using NAFTA to bring Mexico to the bargaining table.

Frank Cagle is a columnist and former managing editor of the News Sentinel. He may be reached at efrankcagle@yahoo.com.

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Frank Cagle: Renegotiate NAFTA to fight illegal immigration - Knoxville News Sentinel

New York Times

With His Guests, Trump to Highlight Illegal Immigration as a Security Issue New York Times WASHINGTON Three relatives of Americans who the authorities said were killed by immigrants living in the United States illegally will attend President Trump's first address to Congress on Tuesday, signaling his plans to showcase his administration's ... Trump's Special Guests Tonight Will Provide a Powerful Message on ...Townhall Trump invites relatives of those killed by undocumented people to ...The Guardian all 8 news articles »

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With His Guests, Trump to Highlight Illegal Immigration as a Security Issue - New York Times

NBCNews.com

The Fate of the Illegal Immigrants New York Times You write that the moral case against President Trump's plan to uproot and expel millions of unauthorized immigrants is open-and-shut. Even for people who arrived recently and stayed illegally, our own convoluted immigration system needs to be part ... Krauthammer's Take: Trump Proposing a Compromise on Immigration Reminiscent of 'Nixon to China'National Review Trump: I'm Open to Legal Status for Some Undocumented ImmigrantsNBCNews.com Trump open to legal status for illegal immigrants: reportWashington Times CNN -The Hill -Fort Worth Star Telegram all 147 news articles »

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The Fate of the Illegal Immigrants - New York Times

The Trump administrations vow to be tougher on crime and illegal immigration plus his top law enforcement officers endorsement of privately run prisons have sent shares of private prison management companies soaring.

The two leading firms, CoreCivic (CXW) (formerly Corrections Corporation of America) and GEO Group (GEO), essentially have doubled their stock prices since Election Day and are near their 52-week highs. Over the last year CoreCivic shares have jumped 19 percent, while those of GEO are up 68 percent.

Since Trumps election, the market capitalization of GEO has roughly doubled to about $3.7 billion; the market capitalization of CoreCivic is now more than $4 billion.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently rolled back an Obama-era directive issued last August that called for phasing out the federal governments use of private prison management firms at the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Sessions is also a proponent of aggressive enforcement of drug and immigration laws and of taking a no-holds-barred approach to violent crime perpetrators, something that could increase the demand for more prison capacity.

The former Alabama lawmaker said last years move to end BOP contracts which currently includes 12 private contracts for correctional centers that house about 21,000 inmates impaired the Bureaus ability to meet the future needs of the federal correctional system. The BOP has an average of 189,000 people in custody.

Private prison firms handle facilities and detainees for the BOP, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Homeland Security chiefly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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ICE relies on private contractors to hold about 60 percent of its detainees, according to Canaccord Genuity strategist Michael Kodesch. As of November of last year (the latest available figure) ICEs average daily detention population was 40,875. CoreCivic and GEO alone have 13,000 beds for immigrant detainees.

Trump plans to add 10,000 immigration officers and 5,000 border control agents, which could increase ICEs average daily detention population.

Housing detained immigrants may well account for the private prison industrys strongest prospects under the Trump administration, Canaccord Genuity strategist Michael Kodesch told Fox News.

When you have the administration ramping up border security and detention, youll have higher criminal alien populations, and youll need those beds. Its a positive headline for prisons, Kodesch said.

He added, however, that Trumps policy wont likely mean an immediate boost to capital improvement budgets for private prisons. Thats because the companies dont often do development based on speculative need, but rather on the procurement of a new contract and immediate demand.

Such speculation may be warranted.

The Obama administrations plan was to phase out private contractors over time, as opposed to cancelling these contracts right away, said Michele Deitch, a senior lecturer at the University of Texas School of Public Affairs and an expert on private prisons. The fact that the attorney general is saying we are planning to expand the federal prison system is very indicative of plans to step up law enforcement and expansion of sentences.

The overall prison population has declined since Obamas Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which eliminated the five-year mandatory sentence for simple drug possession, among other things.But Trumps immigration orders calling for aggressive tracking down, detention and deportation of illegal immigrants, plus those who have legal status but have committed crimes, are expected to reverse that decline and result in a need for more detention beds.

Both prison companies avoided directly commenting on Trump and Obama but expressed optimism about their future collaboration with the federal government.

Our company welcomes the memorandum by the Attorney General reinstating the continued use of privately operated facilities, which has been long-standing practice and policy at the federal level," Pablo Paez, GEO's vice president of corporate relations said in a statement. "We believe that the decision made last August was based on a misrepresentation of the report issued by the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General."

Private prisons have their critics, to be sure. The Office of the Inspector General issued a critical report last year of privately run federal facilities. When she was expected to win the election last year, Hillary Clinton expressed a commitment to ending private prisons and immigrant detention, sending shares of companies that depend on federal clients plummeting.

Others say private contractors are better positioned to run jails and detention center.

Private facilities are dedicated ICE detention centers that have things as simple as air conditioningthey also has health screenings and processing abilities for these populations, Kodesh said.

Click here for more reporting from Victoria Craig and Liz Llorente.

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Private Prison Firms Gain as Trump Plans to Crack Down on Crime ... - Fox Business

There are reports that President Trump might call for some kind of amnesty for illegal aliens who have not committed serious crimes in his address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday.

The reports came after journalists attended a White House luncheon Tuesday and cited a senior White House official for the statement on the controversial issue.

NBCs Lester Holt and Chuck Todd are quoting a White House official as saying Trump may issue a call for immigration compromise, while Dara Lind of Vox contributed a full quote from the official, sayingThe time is right for an immigration bill if both sides are willing to compromise.

George Stephanopoulos of NBC characterizedthe White House officials statement as indicating the president believes now may be time for immigration bill that has compromise on all sides.

The word that President Trump may ask lawmakers to tackle comprehensive immigration reform sparked quick reaction up on Capitol Hill, Blitzer said, then asked CNNs senior congressional reporter Manu Raju, Manu what are you hearing?

Well, mixed reaction Wolf, even on the Republican side of the aisle, Raju explained.

Some conservatives who have pushed for tougher border security measures dont want togo this route, including Steve Scalise (R-La.) one of the members of the Republican leadership telling our colleague Deirdre Walsh that, I want us to secure our border, that needs to be our priority, not a compromise bill.

But some other Republicans open to the idea, including Marco Rubio of Florida, who also told our colleague Ashley Killough that actually he could be open to something like this. Of course he tried to cut that immigration deal in 2013. And on the Democratic side a lot of skepticism including from Oregons Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) who I talked to about this idea, possibly of giving legal status to people who are here undocumented but havent committed serious crimes. He wasnt so sure about that idea.

I would have to see the details of any proposal, said Wyden to Raju. Certainly if he is looking at something bipartisan, hes gonna have to walk some of the statements that he has made time after time after time. Which would in effect would say that there would be a lot of focus by immigration authorities like ICE on people who havent committed any serious crimes.

When asked by Raju, Would you be open to any citizenship just legal status? Wyden responded,Id have to see the details.

Indeed and also, Raju continued, the Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was asked is there any compromise bill that you believe that Donald Trump could get behind that you could get behind, and he said that hes got a lot to undo.'

However, leaks of this nature have come out of the administration many times before and been completely discredited, leading some to speculate that Trump is orchestrating leaksfor the sake of undermining the credibility of the media. And, as some have noted, they could have been reporting on idle speculation by a White House official that was being seriously considered but may not make it into the final draft of the speech.

Trump had called for all illegal aliens to be deported, but has since walked back his position and said that perhaps some could stay if they hadnt committed serious crimes. Many hard-line Republicans are demanding no concessions be given at all to the illegal alien advocates who are now organizing underground railroad homes to house illegals from ICE deportations. Democrats are also planning to bring recipients of Obamas amnesty to Trumps address Tuesday.

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Report: Trump might call for amnesty for illegal aliens in address to Congress - TheBlaze.com