Local GOP leader endorses Trump’s call for ‘merit-based’ immigration policy

During his first ever speech to Congress on Tuesday, President Donald Trump called for immigration reform.

Specifically, Trump said he wants an immigration system that is “merit-based.”

“It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially,” Trump said. “Yet, in America, we do not enforce this rule, straining the very public resources that our poorest citizens rely upon.”

El Paso County Republican Chairman Adolpho Telles said he believes this is a step in the right direction.

“I think it could impact people here in El Paso, some of them positively, some of them negatively,” Telles said. “I think even here in El Paso, we have demands for individuals with certain skills, that would help the people that want to get here.”

Telles said it makes sense for the United States to prioritize highly-skilled immigrants.

“The people that are here came here for a reason, and to me, that’s what the United States is about,” Telles said. “What I don’t want is people coming here, particularly because of the family relationships, and them wanting to get on our entitlement programs like welfare. I think that that’s a tremendous cost to citizens.”

Trump praised the merit-based immigration systems in Canada and Australia.

“Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits,” Trump said. “It will save countless dollars, raise workers’ wages, and help struggling families — including immigrant families — enter the middle class.”

UTEP political science professor Irasema Coronado used to live in Canada, and said she’s familiar with the country’s stance on immigration.

“Canada’s policy is different in that it prefers skilled people that have something to contribute to the growth of the economy,” Coronado said. “But with Canadians, it’s a family that comes. It’s a whole unit, and I think that’s one of the failures of U.S. immigration policy. It’s an individual and he or she petitions for their family to reunite.”

Traditionally, the U.S. has favored more of a family-based immigration system. A Congressional Research Service report states that in 2013, 66 percent of green cards were awarded based on family ties.

Trump’s speech marks a shift from some of the harsher rhetoric he’s used in the past when discussing immigration.

“I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation’s security, and to restore respect for our laws,” Trump said.