Republican presidential candidate nominee Donald Trump says he supports the idea of talented overseas students remaining in the United States after they have finished studying and gaining employment in places such as Silicon Valley. Trump made the perhaps unexpected comment during the third televised presidential debate of the Republican Party.
“I’m in favor of people coming into this country legally,” the controversial real estate billionaire claimed. “And you know what? They can have it any way they want. You can call it visas, you can call it work permits, you can call it anything you want.” Florida senator Marco Rubio, despite his previous differences with Trump on the issue and particularly with regard to H-1B US visas, supported Trump’s desire for an immigration system that can attract the world’s best talent.
Trump said he wants talented people to stay in the United States and work in areas such as Silicon Valley. He denied ever having criticized Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, claiming that he agrees with him about the ridiculousness of having foreign students graduate from American universities such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton only to be immediately forced to leave the United States.
“As far as the visas are concerned, if we need people, it’s fine,” Trump insists. “They have to come into this country legally. We have a country of borders. We have a country of laws. We have to obey the laws. It’s fine if they come in, but they have to come in legally.”
