Trump shows sympathy for those waiting for green cards, says they’ll enter US

WASHINGTON DC: US President Donald Trump appeared to be considerate to the hundreds of thousands of skilled professionals including Indians patiently waiting for years to receive green cards, saying they have done everything perfectly and they are going to enter America.

His comments came amid tension over a caravan of an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 people mostly from three Latin American countries El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala who are currently marching towards the southern US border of Mexico with the intention to enter the US.

As per the official estimates, more than 600,000 Indians in the US are waiting to receive green cards or legal permanent residency, which is a step short of American citizenship.

Letting illegal immigrants enter the country in thousands and then letting them take advantage of the "catch and release" policy is quite unfair to these skilled professionals, Trump said in a major policy speech, announcing that he is doing away with the "release" part of the policy.

"Mass uncontrolled immigration is especially unfair to many wonderful law-abiding immigrants already living here who followed the rules and waited their turn," he said in a policy speech on illegal immigration.

"Some have been waiting for many years. Some have been waiting for a long time. They've done everything perfectly, and they're going to come in. At some point they are going to come in. Many cases very soon. We need them to come in because we have companies coming into our country, they need workers, but they have to come in on a merit basis, and they will come in on a merit basis," Trump said.

The communities are often left to bear the cost and the influx of people that come in illegally, he said, adding that this can't be allowed.