White House aides and Department of Homeland Security officials are working on a legislative package aimed at closing “loopholes” in the immigration system that incentivize illegal migration, senior administration officials said Monday.

The reforms would ease restrictions on who law enforcement agents can detain and for how long because, the administration officials argued, smuggling organizations know well the limits facing border patrol agents who intercept illegal immigrants. That knowledge allows smugglers to exploit the system and encourages more illegal border crossings, the officials said.