(Image source from: The Hindu)

United States President Donald Trump has pledged to secure U.S. international borders and forestall people from entering America illegally and said he wants only those based on merit to enter the country, amid a major immigration policy row.  

Trump, who bowed to public pressure and reversed the family separations policy earlier this week, made the remarks while hosting family members of those killed by immigrants at an event at the White House on Friday.

He further stressed that his government's basic responsibility and highest fidelity was towards the United States citizens, towards guaranteeing refuge in the country and along the borders.

We want people based on merit, not based on a draw: Trump

"We want people in our country based on merit, not based on a draw where other countries put their absolute worst in a bin and they start drawing people," the President told the victim families, also known as 'angel families.'

"You think they're going to put their good ones? They don't put their good ones, they put their bad ones. And then when they commit crimes, we’re so surprised. We’ll not rest until our border is secure, our citizens are safe and we finally end the immigration crisis once and for all," he said.

Trump said the U.S. wants people to come in, but in the proper way.

"So thank you all for being here, these are incredible families, incredible people. Your loved ones have not died in vain," he told the angel families.

He alleged that it is the narrations of these families that the Opposition Democrats and people that are "weak on immigration" don't want to talk about.

"No major news network sent cameras to their homes, or displayed the images of their incredible loved ones across the nightly news. They don’t do that. They don’t talk about the death and destruction caused by people that shouldn’t be here, people that will continuously get into trouble and do bad things," Trump said.

VOICE to support victims, families

"Where is the media outrage over the catch-and-release policies that allow deadly drugs to pour into our country? Where is the condemnation of the Democrats sanctuary cities that release violent criminals into our communities and then protect them, like the mayor of San Diego, when she warned everybody that 'ICE is coming', and they scattered," he asked.

The Trump Administration set up the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office with an intent to support the victims and households affected by prohibited alien crime.

By Sowmya Sangam