New York: President Donald Trump has called for a for “merit-based” immigration system and reiterated the US commitment to strengthen its military, protect its borders and rehash trade deals.
In his 80-minute speech in the House chamber of the Capitol, Trump renewed his campaign call “to make America great again for all Americans.” Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Paul Ryan were at
the event.
The speech, mostly devoted to domestic issues, was punctuated with spectacles for
television with Trump calling out to crime victims, business people, beneficiaries of his
economic programmes, soldiers, a crippled North Korean refugee and others seated in the audience.
Trump took credit for the massive tax reforms, the 2.4 million jobs created last year, the lowest unemployment for African-Americans, stock markets setting records adding $8 trillion in value and manufacturing returning to the US.
Immigration figured prominently in Trump’s speech. “It is time to move towards a merit-based immigration system — one that admits people who are skilled,” he said.
Indian professionals now have a 11-year wait to get Green Cards. A purely merit-based system like those in Canada and Australia has the potential to help 500,000 Indian professionals get Green Cards fast.
Sunayana Dumala, the widow of Indian techie Srinivas Kuchibhotla who was killed in a hate crime last year in Kansas, was a Congressional guest. She called the speech “welcoming and positive” on reforming immigration.
Trump offered to legalise those who were brought into the country illegally as children and give them citizenship, a move that could benefit over 5,500 Indians.
At the same time, he said “chain migration” of brothers, sisters and parents of immigrants should end.
Preventing illegal immigration would require building a wall on the border with Mexico and hiring more immigration and border security personnel, Trump said.
He called for a crackdown on criminal immigrants, particularly members of gangs like MS-13, who entered the country under a programme of the administration of Barack Obama and are responsible for several murders.
The Democratic Party fielded Joe Kennedy, the grandson of the late Robert Kennedy and grandnephew of John F. Kennedy, to deliver the party’s response to Trump.
IANS
