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The group includes rabbis and bishops and pastors from Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Episcopal congregations.

The group includes rabbis and bishops and pastors from Catholic, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Episcopal congregations.

Faith leaders press for immigration reform

Interfaith leaders gathered Friday at the Catholic Chancery in downtown Houston in an urgent plea to Congress to stop separating families and push for a path to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally

The coalition says they have grown frustrated in the first months of President Donald Trump's administration after a series of executive orders and policy changes targeting immigrants in the country illegally.

"We've put them in an untenable position," said Lutheran Bishop Michael Rinehart. "We've been stuck in this situation for years, and these are very good people who are contributing to our tax base and our economy."

Under the Obama administration Immigration and Customs Enforcement focused their priorities on deporting felons and criminals. But the recent deportation of a Houston-area man without a criminal record and a college student who spoke out against the new policies at a news conference have stunned immigrant communities throughout the country.

Advocates are highlighting the case of Jose Escobar, a Houston father who had been granted temporary protection in 2012 and was deported Thursday. They say his case is in sharp contrast to the drug dealers and gang members Trump said the administration was having great success in deporting.

The father of two and husband to a United States citizen was detained during a check-in last month with immigration officials. Escobar's legal status was essentially lost when his mother believed he was automatically included in her visa renewal application. He was deported back to his home country of El Salvador, a country he hasn't seen in 16 years.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo said the outlook deported immigrants face is bleak. The process of legally coming back to the United States involves returning to a country many no longer know, applying for a green card remotely and waiting, in some cases, for years to have their cases heard.

"It is impacting the lives of real people in our congregations," Rinehart said. "We have seen the turmoil in our own communities that has already been created."

The group urged Congress to consider a "compassionate" path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million immigrants illegally in the United States, including 1.4 million who came to the U.S. without authorization as children known as "Dreamers."

The federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program does not provide legal status, but lets those who came to the United States as minors obtain a renewable two-year work permit.

"Our DACA children, our Dreamers, should be given the ability to fully embrace the American dream with access to citizenship," said the Rev. John Ogletree of the First Metropolitan Church.

There's a sense of urgency at Houston's first and biggest Mexican-American church, said Father Tim Gray.

Gray said between 80 and 90 percent of Our Lady of Guadalupe's congregation are of a vulnerable legal status and could be affected by the recent shift in immigration policy.

"I'm here to show our concern for the status of the people that have been living here for many years and are now being threatened," Gray said. "People that consider themselves residents they have families, they have homes, they have jobs. They're here for many years and suddenly they're realizing that that could all disappear."

Rinehart said individual parishes are educating their members on emergency plans in case they are detained, but can do little to actually prevent it from happening or provide resources after they have been deported.

At his first address to a joint Congress on Tuesday, Trump hinted at a softer stance on immigration law. The possibility of a path to citizenship is a significant pivot from his previously bold stance, anchored by his campaign promise to build a wall on the Mexican border.

The interfaith group began meeting almost a decade ago. DiNardo, the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, said their primary focus is to advocate for immigration reform.

"We first spoke out because we thought there was a real chance something could be done," DiNardo said. "We think religiously it's important, and morally it's important."

The cardinal said the softened rhetoric gave the coalition hope that reform could be more attainable than they previously thought.

"The fact that the president mentioned the other night that Congress should work on this is a sign of hope," DiNardo said. "That's the only place where it can be done."

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Faith leaders press for immigration reform - Chron.com

After a bit of a head-fake on Tuesday afternoon, President Trumpopted not to call for comprehensive immigration reform in his speech Tuesday night. Instead, he spoke obliquely about a bipartisan way "to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades" -- without referring to the path to legal status he had been flirting with.

So yet again, we're left wondering what Trump's real intentions are onimmigration reform. And I'll admit that I'm skeptical he's really changed his spots, given his history of hard-line rhetoric. (CNN quotes a Trump administration official saying it was all a "misdirection play" -- whatever that means.)

But here's the thing: If there's one Republicanwho could make comprehensive immigration reform happen -- if he wanted to -- it's Trump.

The big sticking point has always been that the GOP base has chewed up and spit out every attempt at comprehensive reform over the last decade-plus, no matter the poor soul who took the lead. George W. Bush and John McCain tried and failed, then Marco Rubio did. All of them ran into a base that recoiled at legalizing those who broke the law when they came to the United States, and congressional GOP support quickly dried up.

But Trump has shown a remarkable knack for getting the Republican Party to kick its political purity habit and bend on its principles. He's effectively morphed the GOP into an anti-free trade party that is okay with massive infrastructure spending and doesn't care that its president is a late-comer to social conservatism. Trump's appeal has always been about his tone rather than the details, which he's often worked out and fudged as he's gone along.

"I think Donald Trump has an ability to solve the problem unlike anybody in recent times," Sen. Lindsey Graham said on Wednesday night. "We always pass the bill in the Senate like 68 votes. It goes to the House. My Republican colleagues in the House -- it always dies. I think Trump has the ability to tell the right, you know, this is a good deal, take it. "

And we don't have to look too far back for an example of how Trump could do it on immigration.

Back in August, it looked like Trump was flirting with comprehensive reform. As it happens, Ann Coulter had just released a book deifying Trump and saying"there's nothing Trump can do that won't be forgiven ... except change his immigration policies."

But plenty of hard-line conservatives did seem ready to forgive even such an apostasy.

Trump, in fact, originally suggested he might be open to "softening" his approach to immigration reform on Sean Hannity's show -- after Hannity tossed a softball of a question that might as well have come from an immigration reform activist. "Is there any part of the law that you might be able to change that would accommodate those people that contribute to society, have been law-abiding, have kids here, would there be any room in your mind?" Hannity asked.

After Trump said "there certainly can be a softening," Hannity didn't push back or probe further.

There was also, as Callum Borchers noted at the time, a remarkably muted response from Breitbart News, the purveyor of hard-line, nationalist immigration policies if there ever was one. The website basically reported what Trump said and didn't bother to add any context or commentary. The Drudge Report let it slide too.

And The Post's Ed O'Keefe and Jenna Johnson reported from a Trump rally in Florida that Trump supporters weren't really bothered by the rhetorical shift:

Hes calmed it down, a little bit, but hes still going, said [Babs] Buffington, 75, who attended Trumps campaign rally here Wednesday afternoon. Hes still going to build the wall.

Her daughter agreed.

Thats the most important thing, said Krista Kosier, 51. Hes still going to build the wall. Hes still going to get rid of the murderers and rapists and those wreaking havoc in our country.

(Side note: "Babs Buffington" is a real person's name.)

Rush Limbaugh got in on it, too. Rather than knocking Trump for going soft, he relished the fact that Trump supporters weren't ditching Trump over the possible immigration flip-floppery. He was apparently happier it was giving the press fits and didn't care so much that Trump might be throwing in the towel.

"Trump supporters don't care what he does or what he says because there is no way they are going to do anything that helps elect Hillary Clinton," said Limbaugh. "It's no more complicated than that."

It is slightly more complicated than that, of course. Trump supporters and the GOP base are much more willing to give Trump a pass on stuff like this not just because he's not-Clinton, but because they believe his heart's in the right place -- which is not an assumption many of them were able to make with the likes of Bush, McCain, Mitt Romney and Rubio. That gives Trump plenty more latitude to do things on policy that the base might have ideological issues with in another politician.

Whether or not Trump actually wants to do comprehensive immigration reform, again, is very much an open question. And if he attempted it, perhaps it would ultimately go as poorly for him as it did for those who tried and failed before him.

But he is also uniquely suited to make it happen -- if he wants.

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Why Trump could be the one man to make immigration reform happen if he wanted to - Washington Post

The Detroit News Published 10:44 p.m. ET March 2, 2017 | Updated 13 hours ago

An extended family of eight from Colombia are detained Feb. 25 near Hemmingford, Quebec.(Photo: Geoff Robins / Getty Images)

President Donald Trump dropped hints this week that he is open to comprehensive legislation reform that deals with both border security and the roughly 12 million immigrants who are living in the United States illegally.

Congress should take advantage of the opening and present him with a bill that replaces a hodgepodge of executive orders with legislation that brings sensible reform to immigration policies.

And they dont have to start from scratch.

A decade ago Congress and then-President George W. Bush got close on a package of reforms that would have both secured the borders and provided a path to normalization for people in the U.S. without legal permission.

It was a solid plan, forged from a bipartisan compromise, but unfortunately never got a vote.

That package included funding for 300 additional miles of vehicle barriers on the southern border, 120 more surveillance towers and 20,000 extra Border Patrol agents.

Such a beefed up security force should be able to accomplish the same thing as Trumps proposed border wall, but at a fraction of the cost and less political fallout.

Also, the bills would have given visa priority to high-skilled workers, something Trump mentioned in his speech to Congress Tuesday. American industry needs more immigrant talent to grow the economy.

It would also have provided legal status to immigrants here illegally and a path toward citizenship.

The latter provision sticks in the craw of hardliners who believe its possible to round up and deport 12 million people. It isnt, and pretending otherwise hinders a realistic immigration solution.

A Bush-style plan would still allow for the deportation of immigrants who commit felonies, and it should. But it hangs on to immigrants who are working and living productive lives, and are needed in Americas workforce. An estimated 85 percent of those 12 million fall into that category.

At the same time, the additional border security should keep the number of immigrants here illegally from growing.

Getting the border under control and normalizing those who are already here would allow the United States to focus on more controlled and selective immigration that brings in the talent the country needs, as well as leaving the door open for opportunity and asylum seekers who want to come here to grow and be safe.

Other bills introduced in that era and supported by Bush would have expanded the guest worker program to accommodate farm workers and others who want to come to the U.S. for a season and then return home. Such a program would reduce the incentive to sneak across the border illegally.

Again, these bills were the product of bipartisan negotiations. Whether putting together legislation in that fashion is possible in todays divisive, hateful climate in Washington is uncertain.

But there should be enough agreement on the core principles of immigration reform increased border security, a path to normalization and a welcome mat for those with vital skills that a comprehensive package can be passed that solves the problem far more effectively than a giant wall ever could.

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Editorial: Commit to real immigration reform - The Detroit News

"It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially," Trump said Tuesday during his speech to Congress. "Yet, in America, we do not enforce this rule, straining the very public resources that our poorest citizens rely upon."

While there is general support in Washington for such a plan, however, Trump did not clarify what he envisioned by a merit-based system -- a term that could signal a compromise position with broad support or one that critics say may clamp down on even legal immigration to the U.S. even further. The White House press office did not respond to requests seeking further information.

But there are some clues as to how this system would work.

Related: In Arizona, the mandated use of E-Verify has had mixed results

Generally speaking, merit-based systems favor highly-skilled immigrants with some level of higher education.

The U.S. had a version of a merit-based system in place until 1952. At the time, applicants were selected based on the results of a literacy test. But in the 1950s, the U.S. began moving toward a family-based immigration system.

This system, which has been in place ever since, focuses on allowing spouses and relatives of U.S. citizens into the country. The U.S. also issues special visas for workers and refugees, too.

Proponents of a merit-based system say inviting the best and brightest minds into the country will make America more competitive and reduce the number of low-income immigrants relying on public benefits.

"If you decide to come to the United States immediately following college, are you more valuable than if you come a year before your retirement? Are you more valuable if you're educated than if you're not? All of those are just common sense and we're virtually the only desirable country on Earth that doesn't have a merit system," said Rep Darrell Issa, who in 2013 wrote the SKILLS bill, which sought to increase the cap on H-1B and other types of visas for highly skilled workers, among other things. That bill was passed by the House but was not passed by the Senate.

Another compromise that sought to reform both high- and low-skilled immigration was the 2013 Gang of Eight bill that passed the Senate but died in the House. After Trump's speech, Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake suggested that bill could be a "blueprint" for what the president discussed.

But there's another interpretation of merit-based systems, one that was long advocated by Attorney General Jeff Sessions when he was a senator. He and other advocates for restricting immigration envision a merit-based system where far fewer immigrants are admitted and efforts are made to ensure that those that do get into the country, don't compete with American workers.

Sens. Tom Cotton, of Arkansas, and David Perdue, of Georgia, have proposed a bill that would cut U.S. immigration by half, by cutting back on family immigration, lowering refugee visas and ending diversity lotteries. That approach has far less support in the Senate.

In a statement Dan Stein, who is President of Federation for American Immigration Reform, a longtime Sessions ally and like-minded group, said the shift to merit-based immigration would "ensure that we can maximize the benefits of immigration while minimizing the downside."

Critics of merit-based systems say they unfairly favor wealthy immigrants and cut off a crucial supply of low-skilled workers. They also note that immigrants do not rely on public benefits as much as Trump and other conservatives claim they do.

Related: How immigrants helped save the economy of Akron, Ohio

"Family immigration has not ever been proven to be a drain on society," said Leon Fresco, former head of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Immigration Litigation during President Obama's administration. "Its entire premise is that the family takes charge of the immigrant."

Those looking for insights into Trump's plan could look to Canada and Australia. Both countries use point-based systems to assess whether a person qualifies to enter the country as a skilled worker. Applicants earn points based on things like their level of education, age, work experience, ability to speak English (or in Canada, French as well) and whether they have a job waiting for them.

Canada's federal skilled worker system, for example, awards a person who has a Ph.D 25 points, while a person with a master's gets 23. If an applicant scores a total of 67 points or higher, they can qualify to immigrate to Canada as a skilled worker.

Fresco said a points-based system may seem appealing, but there is one problem: Without a job offer, once these highly skilled immigrants arrive there is no guarantee that they can get work in their respective field. "If you do it solely on points and not on if the person has a job waiting for them, then you get a lot of 'Ph.D cabdrivers,'" he said.

And focusing solely on highly skilled immigrants won't help industries like farming and construction that rely heavily on low-skilled workers. Many employers in these industries say they are struggling to find workers and it's nearly impossible to find Americans willing to fill the jobs.

Competition for workers in the agricultural industry, for example, has sent average farm worker wages up 5% in the past year, to $12 an hour, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture figures.

One of the biggest hurdles for these industries is that there aren't enough options to help low-skilled workers to legally immigrate to the U.S., said Maria Lorena Cook, a professor of comparative labor at Cornell University.

"It is precisely this lack of legal immigration options for many low-skill immigrant workers, coupled with the structural dependence of broad sectors of the U.S. economy on immigrant workers, that is responsible for the large number of undocumented immigrants in the country today," she said.

Related: Sanctuary restaurants vow to protect undocumented workers

Both Canada and Australia offer avenues for lower-skilled immigrants to enter the country as well, but these are usually dependent on the immigrant having a job offer in hand first.

Canada has a guest worker program which serves the nation's agriculture industry, for example. It also has a Provincial Nominations Program in which its provinces can petition for immigrants who have the skills, education and work experience needed there.

"We still have a lot of question marks for what [Trump's merit-based immigration system] means, but it opens the door for Congress to start having more substantive conversations that could lead to legislation that could provide a legal and stable workforce for our farmers," said Kristy Boswell, director of Congressional relations with the American Farm Bureau Federation.

CNNMoney (New York) First published March 3, 2017: 11:17 AM ET

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Trump's merit-based immigration system: Who would get in? - CNNMoney

President Donald Trump is making the case for his tougher immigration rules during his speech. "The current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers, and puts great pressure on taxpayers," Trump said. (Feb. 28) AP

President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 28, 2017.(Photo: AP)

In his first speech to Congress, President Donald Trump on Tuesday told lawmakers that immigration reform is possible, in addition to the aggressive border-security policies that haveso far characterized his young administration.

But Trump gave few hints about what kind of reform he would consider, and some immigration-reform supporters immediately expressed skepticism about the gesture or rejected it outright. They noted the thrust of the speech's immigration message was focused on the hard-nosed stances he burnished over the course of the 2016 presidential campaign.

"I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nations securityand to restore respect for our laws," Trump said in his hour-longremarks on Capitol Hill. "If we are guided by the well-being of American citizens then I believe Republicans and Democrats can work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades."

ROBERTS:Trump open to legal status for immigrants? Wait...what?

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DAZ:Do you believe Trump's immigration reform is possible? Not me

Congress' last effort at comprehensive reform of the nation's policies on immigration and border security a 2013 bill passed by the Senate would have granted many undocumented immigrants who havesettledin the U.S.a 13-year path to citizenship while funding unprecedented investment inborder security.

Trump, who campaigned for the White House as an anti-"amnesty" immigration hardliner, did not reveal any other details about his thinking on immigration reformin his address. But earlier in the day, he signaled that he would be interested in a compromise immigration bill that would provide some sort of legal status for many of the 11 million peoplenow in the United States illegally, although not a pathway to citizenship that many immigration advocates have long sought.

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Other parts of Trump's speech emphasized the immigration-enforcement policies that he has become known for, including his signature proposal for a new wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

We must restore integrity and the rule of law at our borders. For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a great, great wall along our southern border.

"We must restore integrity and the rule of law at our borders," Trump said. "For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a great, great wall along our southern border. As we speak tonight, we are removing gang members, drug dealers andcriminals that threaten our communities and prey on our very innocent citizens.Bad ones are going out as I speak and as I've promised throughout the campaign."

He also announced the creation of a new office in the Department of Homeland Security called "Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement," or VOICE. The office will serve victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.

Trump at one point mentioned four guests in the audience "whose government failed them."Jamiel Shaw, Susan Oliver, Jenna Oliverand Jessica Davis had relatives murdered by people in the country illegally, Trump said.Oliver and Davis are widows of law-enforcement officials killed in the line of duty.

"We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our mediaand silenced by special interests," Trump said.

Frank Sharry, executive director of Americas Voice, a Washington, D.C.-based group that pushes for immigration reform, blasted Trumps comments on immigration as xenophobic.

Despite the earlier news reports that Trump was open to passing an immigration bill that would allow some undocumented immigrants to gain legal status, his address to Congress made no mention of allowing them to legalize their status.

Instead, Sharry said, Trumps speech seemed tailored mostly at pleasing his nativist base.

There was nothing but deportations for the undocumented and nothing but cuts for family immigration, Sharry said.

In the speech, Trump called for switching away from what he called the current system of lower-skilled immigration and instead adopting a merit-based system.

Such a shift would save countless dollars, raise workers wagesand help struggling families including immigrating families enter the middle class and they will do it quickly and they will be very happy indeed, Trump said.

MORE:Arizona lawmakers react to Trump's speech

Sharry, however, said what Trump is saying is that he wants to cut legal immigration, specifically from Mexico, Latin Americaand Asia, the regions of the world that most benefit from the current family-based immigration system.

"Its just another way to say we want fewer brown and yellow people and we want to attract highly skilled people and presumably more Europeans," Sharry said. "Its really quite clear, its not about the rule of law, its about the color of skin. Its about race.

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Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., was a member of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" that collaborated on 2013 Senate-passed comprehensive immigration-reform legislation. He said Trump's remarks about the possibility of reform are a positive sign.

RELATED:Trump's speech: Exaggerations, omissions, facts

Flake said hehopes that legislative attempts to extend protections to the young "dreamers" enrolled in former President Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program will gain traction.

"Obviously, he wants better border security. We all do," Flake told The Arizona Republic after the speech. "Obviously, we've got to take care of the DACA kids. He's said that nobody's going to deport them. Congress has to act because to have any permanent solution, it has got to be Congress. So, yeah, I think we can work together."

Flake added that he's not surprised by the suggestion that Trump might consider a legal status for some undocumented immigrants: "We all knew it would involve that. If it's going to go to Congress, it's going to be a compromise."

An Arizona mom who was deported in early February has two kids who are U.S. citizens. But here's why Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos had no real path to apply for citizenship. Wochit

Astrid Silva, of Las Vegas, who was brought to the United States without authorization as a 4-year-old child, delivered a blistering Spanish-language Democratic response to Trump's speech, which she described as"divisive" and intended "to cause fear in communities across the country."

These people should not be ICE's target or priority. This is not who we are as a country.

In her remarks as prepared for delivery, she hammered the aggressive deportation effort since Trump took the oath of office.

"Among the people that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)arrested, are mothers, fathers, dreamers with DACA, a victim of domestic violenceand many more," Silva said.

As a matter of fact, tonight in the gallery listening to President Trumps speech were Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos children, a working mother from Arizona who went to her appointment with ICE only to be arrested and deported without reason," Silva continued. "Today,Guadalupe is far from her children, who are U.S. citizens and who are an example of the great impact that Trumps actions have over the American people in general, not just on the undocumented community.

These people should not be ICEs target or priority. This is not who we are as a country."

President Trump spoke to Congress about all of his administration's accomplishments so far. We broke down a couple of his claims.

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In his first speech to a joint session of Congress, President Trump emphasized that he will lead the United States, not the world. USA TODAY NETWORK

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During his address to Congress, President Trump called for the repeal and replacement of Obamacare. USA TODAY NETWORK

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President Donald Trump concluded his speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night by asking for unity. "The time for small thinking is over. The time for trivial fights is behind us," Trump said. (Feb. 28) AP

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Congress applauded the widow of fallen U.S. Navy Special Operator Ryan Owens for so long that President Trump noted that it may have 'broken a record.' USA TODAY NETWORK

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President Donald Trump is making the case for his tougher immigration rules during his speech. "The current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers, and puts great pressure on taxpayers," Trump said. (Feb. 28) AP

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President Donald Trump touted the accomplishments of his first month in office, saying companies have announced "they will invest billions of dolalrs in the United States and will create tens of thousands of new American jobs." (Feb. 28) AP

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President Trump listed the progress he has made in 'keeping his promises' during his first month in office while addressing Congress for the first time. USA TODAY NETWORK

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President Donald Trump is saying he will keep his promises to the American people while addressing Congress in his first speech as president. (Feb. 28) AP

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During his first address to Congress, President Trump described his campaign as a movement in 2016 that grew into an 'earthquake.' USA TODAY NETWORK

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President Donald Trump kicked off his speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night by condemning acts of hate. He also spoke optimistically about the future of the country. (Feb. 28) AP

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Before his first Congressional address, President Trump appeared on Fox News to talk about everything from immigration to government leaks. USA TODAY NETWORK

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Democratic lawmakers from more than 30 states are taking part in a coordinated rebuttal to Trump's agenda. USA TODAY NETWORK

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President Donald Trump will deliver a speech to Congress on Tuesday night. Newslook

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Fact-checking Trump's first address to Congress

Trump: My job is not to represent the world

'Repeal and replace Obamacare': Trump tells Congress

Trump: 'The time for small thinking is over'

Navy SEAL widow gets long ovation during Trump's speech

Trump: 'Positive immigration reform is possible'

Trump touts first month accomplishments

Has Trump kept his promises so far? He thinks so

Trump: Above all else, we'll 'keep our promises'

Trump: Earth shifted beneath our feet in 2016

Trump begins speech 'condemning hate'

President Trump gets honest about grading himself

Dems rebut Trump's agenda with "Week of Action"

Here is what to expect from Donald trump's address to Congress

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President Donald Trump says immigration reform is possible - AZCentral.com