Support is growing for President Donald Trump's plan to move toward a merit-based immigration plan.
The current system is based mainly on family-ties, but now nearly half of likely American voters, mainly men and those under 30, said they want a system that only admits legal immigrants if their skills are needed in the U.S.
“We're able to see that they in fact do have some contact points and some place that we can validate what they've done in the past, which helps ensure the individual coming is who they say they are, which takes away the potential they could be a terrorist or criminal,” says national security expert Kevin Mellott, president of ERASE Enterprises.
“Terrorists don't, in most cases, have technical skills and are not looking for to work,” he says. “This would help vet those individuals who are really looking for work versus those individuals who are crossing into the U.S. for nefarious purposes.”
Its an indication the days of open borders appears to be coming to an end.
“The idea of just taking everybody in and they'll figure it out when they get here has kind of run its course in a bad direction,” says Mallot. “Now what they're talking about is we're going to look at people and say that if you have certain skill sets that we need in our country to help progress the economy, then you're going to go to the front of the line.”
Mellott says today's economy no longer supports immigrants who flood into the U.S. to just set up a convenience store or gas station with relatives.
“When we're looking at people coming without skills that may want to work in a retail commercial venue of that nature, do they have any money to start the business in the first place? Or do they have relatives here that can help them start the business? And is that a business we need more of?” asks Mellott.
That same poll by Rasmussen Reports found 45-percent of likely voters still support deportations of illegal aliens, even they have a child in the U.S.