WASHINGTON—House Speaker Paul Ryan is proposing to secure U.S. borders by overhauling the immigration system and installing robust defenses to keep out extremists, criminals and drug cartels.
The plan is part of a national security strategy the Wisconsin Republican will unveil on Thursday. It’s a key plank in a broader policy blueprint he is crafting that seeks to unite Republicans amid the frequent distractions triggered by Donald Trump’s unconventional presidential campaign.
The focus on immigration and border protection tracks with one of the cornerstones of Trump’s platform. Ryan calls for the use of “high fencing” along border areas, but steers clear of the billionaire candidate’s signature issue: building a wall to keep people from illegally entering the United States from Mexico.
Trump also has proposed banning all Muslims from entering the country, which Ryan has rejected.
“America must secure the border once and for all by accelerating the deployment of fencing, technology, air assets and personnel,” Ryan’s strategy reads. “We also must overhaul our immigration system for national security reasons.”
Ryan said the U.S. has repeatedly failed to eliminate serious vulnerabilities in the immigration system, citing the inability to verify comprehensively whether visitors to the U.S. actually leave when their visas expire.
The plan also hammers President Barack Obama for what Ryan and other Republicans have said is a failed foreign policy. He listed Obama’s refusal to enforce “its red line in Syria” and the international nuclear deal with Iran among the examples.
