Trump Advocates a ‘Merit-Based Immigration System’

President Donald Trump told the nation Tuesday night he will enforce the nation’s immigration laws to protect the U.S. border. But he also called for reforms to the “current, outdated system” of legal immigration:

Nations around the world, like Canada, Australia and many others, have a merit-based immigration system,” Trump said. “It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially.

“Yet, in America, we do not enforce this rule, straining the very public resources that our poorest citizens rely upon. According to the National Academy of Sciences, our current immigration system costs America’s taxpayers many billions of dollars a year.”

 

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