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Stephen Miller and a team of far right-wing officials believe the separation of immigrant families at the border is a winning political issue and will open the door to even tougher crackdowns on immigrants.

Despite the heartbreaking reports of young children held in stark conditions, Miller hopes to use the crisis to gather enough data and statistics by early September to show voters that President Trump fulfilled his immigration promises — even without a physical border wall or any other congressional measure, Politico reported.

Among the ideas being circulated: tightening rules on student visas and exchange programs; limiting visas for temporary agricultural workers; making it harder for legal immigrants who have applied for any welfare programs to obtain residency; and collecting biometric data from visitors from certain countries.

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Details of the ideas are still being worked out, said one White House official.

Miller said Republicans should frame themselves as the party of strong borders and tar Democrats as immigrant-loving softies.

“The Democratic Party is at grave risk of completely marginalizing itself from the American voters by continuing to lean into its absolutist anti-enforcement positions,” Miller said in an interview with Breitbart News published on May 24.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

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