Kris Kobach says he advised Donald Trump on forcing Mexico to pay for border wall

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has advised GOP candidate Donald Trump on immigration, said Trump’s plan to force Mexico to pay for a border wall has provisions written by Kobach.

Trump’s proposal matches and expands on what Kobach said when he endorsed Trump in February, according to a story published Sunday on the Topeka Capital-Journal’s website.

When Kobach endorsed Trump, he lauded Trump’s strong stand against illegal immigration and said the United States could compel Mexico to pay for construction of a wall by shutting down the flow of remittances to Mexico from illegal immigrants working in the United States.

“Mexico will then have to make a choice: Either make a single payment of $5 billion to $10 billion to the United States to pay for the wall, or lose most of the $23 billion in remittances that Mexico receives every year from its nationals working illegally in the United States,” Kobach said at the time.

According to the plan posted to his campaign website, Trump would propose a rule change making money transfer companies included under the definition of financial institutions under a provision in the Patriot Act that compels customers to prove their identity before opening accounts.

The rule change would also redefine “accounts” to include wire transfers and not allow any immigrant to wire money outside the United States unless the immigrant provided a document establishing a lawful presence in the United States.

Trump maintains that about $24 billion is remitted from Mexican nationals working in the United States. In his plan, he said it’s an easy decision for Mexico to opt to pay the one-time cost of $5 billion to $10 billion for the wall to ensure the remittances continue.

Kobach told the Capital-Journal that he has been in touch with Trump about the issue and that he had drafted portions of the plan.

This story was originally published April 10, 2016 at 9:40 PM with the headline "Kris Kobach says he advised Donald Trump on forcing Mexico to pay for border wall."