Immigration hawks seek reinforcements in Trump administration

First President-elect Trump was going to get control over immigration by building a wall. Now he may do so by crowning a czar.

Border security hawks have been lobbying Trump's team to hire an "immigration czar" who would coordinate policy on this issue across multiple Cabinet-level departments and agencies.

"Immigration was certainly a key issue in the 2016 election," said Federation for American Immigration Reform media director Ira Mehlman. "Whatever title President-elect Trump might give to the person he designates to implement the campaign pledges he has made, the idea of having someone in the administration with the legal and policy expertise to translate campaign promises into action is a positive one."

One person whose name keeps coming up to be immigration czar is Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican who has molded legislation to get tough on illegal immigration in multiple states, most notably Arizona.

Immigration hardliners were happy with the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., for attorney general. Sessions advocates both stronger immigration enforcement and admitting a smaller number of immigrants annually. But since then, they have watched Republicans with a more relaxed attitude toward immigration, such as labor secretary nominee Andrew Puzder, get tapped for key jobs.