Washington: In a bid to ensure “America first”, US President Donald Trump on Sunday pushed for a merit-based immigration system, saying he only wants people who can help America become “strong and great again”.
Trump also said there will be no more diversity lottery visa.
“I, as President, want people coming into our Country who are going to help us become strong and great again, people coming in through a system based on MERIT. No more Lotteries! #AMERICA FIRST,” the US president tweeted on Sunday.
I, as President, want people coming into our Country who are going to help us become strong and great again, people coming in through a system based on MERIT. No more Lotteries! #AMERICA FIRST
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018
On Friday, Trump reiterated his support for the merit-based immigration system saying that it will take America to the “next level”. He asserted that he wanted safety and security of Americans and an end to “massive” inflow of drugs.
Trump has been calling for the merit-based immigration system, of which people from countries like India could be a major beneficiary, to reduce overall immigration to the US.
The decades-old diversity lottery visa system gave green cards to people from countries from where people would normally not qualify to come to the US through a merit-based system.
In another tweet, Trump said DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) is probably dead.
“DACA is probably dead because the Democrats don't really want it, they just want to talk and take desperately needed money away from our military,” the US president said.
DACA is probably dead because the Democrats don’t really want it, they just want to talk and take desperately needed money away from our Military.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2018
DACA, established in 2012 by Trump predecessor Barack Obama, protects from deportation hundreds of thousands of immigrants whose parents brought them into the country illegally as children.
Trump has also called for ending the chain migration, the fastest and easiest way to gain legal entry into America, through sponsorship by a family member who is already a legal resident or citizen of the US.
Earlier, in an interview to The Wall Street Journal, he asserted that he will not accept any immigration deal that does not have a provision to build a wall along the Mexico border to stop illegal entry of people from that country.
