Sticking to his harsh immigration rhetoric, Donald Trump today vowed "no amnesty" for millions of undocumented migrants living in the US and warned that those living in the country illegally would be deported if he becomes president.
Delivering his eagerly awaited immigration policy, hours after meeting Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in Mexico City, Trump, articulated a strong and tough immigration policy, which is quite opposite to that of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, which is based on compassion and providing a pathway to nearly 11 million illegal immigrants.
Rather, Trump’s words Wednesday night were harsher than ever before, highlighting immigrants as a threat to American safety and identity.
Constructing a strong wall along its southern border, immediate deportation of criminal aliens, no amnesty for undocumented immigrants, extreme vetting along with ideological certifications for those seeking into the country and a merit-based legal entry system were some of the key parts of the 10-point immigration policy announced by Trump.
"Anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation," Trump said in the highly anticipated speech in Phoenix in Arizona.
He said any person living in the country illegally who is arrested for any crime whatsoever will immediately be placed into deportation proceedings.
"We will break the cycle of amnesty and illegal immigration. There will be no amnesty. Our message to the world will be this: you cannot obtain legal status, or become a citizen of the United States, by illegally entering our country. This declaration alone will help stop the crisis of illegal crossings and illegal overstays," Trump said.
Asserting that he will reform legal immigration to serve the best interests of America and its workers, Trump said the "time has come for a new immigration commission to develop a new set of reforms to our legal immigration system in order to achieve the goals to keep immigration levels, measured by population share, within historical norms."
"The goal would be to select immigrants based on their likelihood of success in US society, and their ability to be financially self-sufficient," he said.
"We need a system that serves our needs ? remember, it?s America First, to choose immigrants based on merit, skill and proficiency and to establish new immigration controls to boost wages and to ensure that open jobs are offered to American workers first.
"We want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally and properly-vetted, and in a manner that serves the national interest," he said.
PTI inputs
