Trump says US will welcome skilled immigrants, ready for criticism
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to welcome skilled immigrants into the country. Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, he argued that these workers would help teach Americans how to make complex products such as chips and missiles. "And I may take a little heat. I always take a little heat from my people...they happen to be toward the right of center, sometimes they are way right," he said.
Workforce necessity
Trump emphasizes need for skilled workers in complex manufacturing
Trump stressed that the US is setting up many "extremely complex" plants, which will be crucial for economic growth. He said companies would need to bring in skilled foreign workers to teach Americans how to produce high-tech items such as mobiles and computers. "They're going to have to bring thousands of people with them, and I'm going to welcome those people," he said.
Visa controversy
Trump defends H-1B visa program amid criticism
The H-1B and L1 visa programs are used by companies to hire skilled foreign workers in specialty occupations. Despite his administration's crackdown on illegal immigration, Trump has defended the H-1B program. He argued that America lacks certain talents and needs to bring in global talent. "You don't have certain talents. And people have to learn. You can't take people off an unemployment line, and say, 'I'm going to put you into a factory, we're going to make missiles,'" he said.
Plant example
Trump cites Hyundai plant incident to illustrate workforce need
Trump also cited an incident at a Hyundai battery manufacturing plant in Georgia, where an immigration raid had earlier taken place. He said that despite the challenges, they worked it out and now Americans are being taught how to make batteries. "Batteries are very dangerous to make. They're complex, much more complex than people understand," he said.