(Image source from: www.politico.com)

Addressing an election rally in North Carolina on Friday, the United States President Donald Trump has said "millions of people" who are waiting for legal immigration to America will be admitted soon.

Trump further said he wants "a strong border".

"A vote for Democrats is a vote for open borders and a vote for tax hikes…I think I would be a failed politician if I had to really promote open borders. Everybody comes in…We pay for all of the things we just went over," he said.

Rationalizing his decision to deploy military on the southern border with Mexico to stop a caravan of several thousand people from Latin American to enter the U.S. illegally, he said, "I want them to come into our country, but they have to come in legally and they have to come in through merit system."

A procession of people, approximately 5,000 and 7,000 from three Latin American countries - El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, is headed for the U.S. It also comprises some people from South Asia, according to some media reports.

"We have millions and millions of people right now on line, they have been waiting, sometimes (since) 10 years…they did it right…they signed every paper. They are waiting proudly on line. They are going to be admitted soon," Trump said.

He said it is unfair to those who are waiting for years to have people just walk across a border.

Criticizing the Democratic leadership for their open-door policy on immigration, Trump said, "Their laws are no good…we have laws that are the laughingstock of the world because of the Democrats."

Under the existing policy, illegal immigrants are caught and released, he said, adding that the system of visa lottery and chain migration also do not make any sense.

-Sowmya Sangam