State of the Union emphasizes immigration, infrastructure

Although the focus of President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address was largely national, his remarks on infrastructure and immigration will have ramifications in New York.

Trump called on Congress to pass a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan based on partnerships with state and local governments, in contrast to his position on the Gateway program.

Although the Obama administration made the trans-Hudson rail tunnel a priority, the Trump administration backed away from covering half of the project, and dismissed a funding plan by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

On immigration, Trump also proposed a path to citizenship for immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, but tied it to building a “great wall” and increased border security. Trump invited the parents of two Long Island girls killed by MS-13 – and led the room in giving the parents a standing ovation – to highlight efforts to eradicate the gang. Trump also proposed ending “chain migration,” a politically loaded term for allowing non-immediate family members of immigrants to enter the country.

Trump said the perpetrators of two recent terrorist attacks in New York City benefited from the program, which is a questionable assertion. Often, New York lawmakers seemed skeptical of the president’s remarks.