Republicans on Capitol Hill have shown some disappointing signs on immigration this week. Jared Kushner met with Senate Republicans on Wednesday to gin up support for the White House’s immigration plan.

Kushner pitched the plan as the way Republicans become the party of legal immigration, in contrast to the Democrats’ image as the party of illegal immigration. The Hill reports that all of the Republican senators showed support for the plan [Kushner tells GOP it needs to unify behind immigration plan, by Alexander Bolton, The Hill, September 11, 2019].

VDARE covered the plan when it was introduced in May. It’s not bad, but it isn’t great either. The plan doesn’t give amnesty, it provides full funding for the wall, ends chain migration, and mandates e-Verify. But, unlike the RAISE Act, it doesn’t reduce immigration. However, Senate Republicans appear to not mind. A few even think the plan increases immigration.

“I'm definitely supportive of the idea of increasing legal immigration,” Indiana Sen. Mike Braun told The Hill.

Other Republicans share that support. Both Republican senators from Iowa told the Iowa Business Council they want to increase guest worker visas. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who has previously shown sense on immigration and the H-1b visa, said he’s open to increasing the number of visas [Grassley, Ernst tell business leaders they support more employment visas, with caveat, by Tyler Jeff, Des Moines Register, September 6, 2019].

"I'm willing to give increased numbers," Grassley told the Des Moines Register. "But I think that we should have the program serve the purpose it was intended to."

Sen. Joni Ernst also offered a similar opinion on guest worker visas.

Some prominent Republicans have called for immigration reduction in recent years. That’s a major improvement from the Obama years, but the rest of the party is still stuck in the Business First mentality. No Republican should want immigration increased.

Why do they think Kushner’s plan increases immigration when it doesn’t?