U.S. business lobby urges Donald Trump to take moderate course on immigration

The nation’s most influential business lobby urged President-elect Donald Trump on Monday to take a “balanced” approach to immigration and to expand international trade, two areas where the Republican has promised to upend traditional party orthodoxy.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce told Mr. Trump that U.S. companies need to attract immigrants to grow.

“We hope you and Congress will chart a balanced course that increases security and enforcement while also improving America’s legal immigration and visa systems,” the group told Mr. Trump in a letter. “As you know from your business career, the ability of companies to attract talent at all skill levels is a strong factor in keeping and expanding operations and jobs in the United States.”

In a video announcement late Monday, Mr. Trump said he will issue an executive action on his first day in office to reduce Mr. Obama’s red tape.

“I will formulate a rule which says that for every one new regulation, two old regulations must be eliminated. So important,” Mr. Trump said.

The chamber supported President Obama’s efforts for comprehensive immigration reform, a move that was thwarted by widespread opposition from conservatives in Congress, who emphasized the need for stronger border security. The president-elect campaigned on a promise to build a wall along the border with Mexico and to speed up the pace of deporting illegal immigrants.

But Mr. Trump apparently got contrary advice from at least one person being considered for Homeland Security secretary — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. At a meeting Sunday, Mr. Kobach apparently brought a list of proposals for what he would do in his first year if appointed. Parts of the list could be read from an Associated Press photograph.

One suggestion was to “update and reintroduce” the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System, a post-Sept. 11 program that liberals viewed as a form of profiling and was discontinued by the Obama administration. Mr. Kobach apparently would seek to expand it to all foreigners from “high-risk” areas and ask about “support for Sharia law, jihad, equality of men and women, the United States constitution.”

Mr. Trump also has vowed to rip up the administration’s massive free trade agreement with 11 Asia-Pacific nations called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, saying it’s a bad deal for American workers. The business group supports the TPP.

“To achieve the level of growth our country needs, we must increase international trade,” the chamber told Mr. Trump. “We should avoid any course of action that constricts, rather than expands, trade.”

At Mr. Obama’s request, Congress approved trade promotion authority in 2015 to help speed approval of trade deals. The authority will remain in place when Mr. Trump takes office in January. The chamber said it is a “critical tool” to negotiate favorable trade deals.

“Throughout the campaign you spoke of your desire to boost U.S. exports around the world and to negotiate new trade deals that would be good for the country,” the chamber told the president-elect. “The Chamber is prepared to work with you here, as well.”

The business lobby said it has been “encouraged” by Mr. Trump’s comments about the need to rebuild U.S. infrastructure, develop all forms of domestic energy, reform taxes and cut red tape.

“In addition, we have been pleased to hear that you plan to bring significant change to America’s healthcare and public education systems,” the group said. “Our country needs a strong president to help ensure peace, security, and prosperity at home and abroad. Together, we can put Americans back to work, we can get our economy back on track, and we can get our country back to business.”