Hundreds of highly skilled Indians from different parts of the United States flocked to Washington to hold a rally in front of White House. Surprisingly, and not of the usual anti-Trump protests, the rally was a pro-Trump movement in support of the merit-based immigration system. The rally depicted the group’s satisfaction with the new policy because as claimed by the group, the highly skilled Indian workers have had to wait for years to get green cards due to the backlog in the system.
During his State of Union address, President Donald Trump unveiled a four-pillar immigration policy proposal. The proposal introduced a merit-based citizenship program, an end to the visa lottery program, an end to chain migration and building of the Southern border wall.
Communication from the Rally
Krishna Bansal, the National Policy and Political director under the Republican Hindu Coalition, told the rally that they are strictly for the merit-based immigration system. He added that the American government’s acceptance of the skilled workers will be beneficial to the country’s economy.
Krishna acknowledged that they are with Trump on establishing a merit-based immigration system, and notified the skilled workers that their coalition is working with White House and legislatures towards an inclusive immigration bill. He added that issuing green cards to the Indian skilled workers will assist them to realize their full potential while simultaneously promoting America’s economic growth and prosperity.
The Republican Hindu Coalition claims that there are about 200,000 children of legal immigrants from India who are in line to receive green cards. Due to the backlog, their parents have to wait more than 60 years after approval to get a green card, therefore, forcing their children to go back to India when they turn 21. Anil Sharma, a member of the rally organizing team implied that if the US economy is to grow 4% every year, it will need an injection of about 400,000 high-skilled workers added to the labor force every year. He recommended that Immigration reforms need to address this issue as well.
Opinions about the Rally
In one of a kind rally, the participants mostly comprised of software engineers carried banners and hoardings with pro-merit based immigration slogans such as “cut green card backlog,” “need to support legal dreamers” or “we support Trump.”
The rally was considered one of the rare pro-Trump demos held in front of the White House. Most rallies are mounted against Trump’s remarks or policies.
