US President Donald Trump has said he wants immigrants to come from everywhere even as the White House pushes for a merit-based immigration system.
"I want them to come in from everywhere – everywhere," Trump told reporters on 16 January in a brief response to a question surrounding the controversy about his recent statement in which he allegedly said he wants more people to come from Norway.
Later in the day, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters that the president is pushing for a merit-based system irrespective of the country, religion and ethnicity of an applicant.
"He wants immigrants to come in from everywhere, but he wants to do that through a merit-based system," said Sanders.
By definition a merit based system is color blind. It’s not basing it on any of that criteria. It’s not based on race, religion or country of origin. It’s actually based on the merits of whether or not this person’s going to be contributing to societySarah Sanders, White House Press Secretary
Sanders said it was a "much more fair system" and the one supported and voted by Democrats "just years ago".
"But now Trump is championing it. The opposition, Democrats, are just showing absolute signs and definitions of what hypocrisy looks like," said Sanders.
"Democrats need to quit playing politics... They need to come to the table with a real deal based on the parameters that were discussed in the meeting that most of you saw, and let's try to get something done for the American people," Sanders said.
What Are the Merits to Live in the US?
The Trump administration has no qualms admitting immigrants who are skilled, employed and can speak English, a top official has said, while giving insight into what its merit-based system would look like.
Such individuals could be from any part of the world given that they fulfil the requirements, the official said. If such a policy is developed and implemented, it could benefit individuals from countries like India, the majority of whom meet the criterion.
The Trump administration wants to reform the immigration system to serve the US' national interest, the official said.
"And so, our position, is that a system that prioritise individuals based on their individual skills and merit will certainly produce better results than the system we have now," said a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “We want to bring in individuals, wherever they may be from, who love this country, who love its people, who have skills, who have talent, who have - who speak English, who are committed to supporting our values and our very way of life,” the White House official said.
The official said some of the existing programmes for immigrants ignored such requirements which are important for individuals to succeed in the US.
"So, what we have with the Diversity Lottery Program or through chain migration is that in these cases there are identified examples of individuals who were not selected to come to the US based on their love of this country, skills, merit, and individual attributes that will lead them to their success," the official said.
"We would like to admit individuals from all backgrounds or any place in the world, based on their own individual merit and their likelihood of success, into the US," he said.
The admission of any foreign national who goes on to commit a terrorism-related offense or who conspires to support terrorists is simply an unacceptable outcome for the US, no matter what, the official said.
"Our goal is to eliminate terrorism in all of its forms, wherever it may emanate from," he said.
(We Indians have much to talk about these days. But what would you tell India if you had the chance? Pick up the phone and write or record your Letter To India. Don’t be silent, tell her how you feel. Mail us your letter at lettertoindia@thequint.com. We’ll make sure India gets your message.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)