Trump promises 'automatic' US green card for foreign grads
In a significant shift from his previous stance on immigration, former United States President Donald Trump has proposed granting "automatic" green cards to foreign graduates of US colleges if re-elected. During a podcast interview with Silicon Valley tech investors, he expressed his intention to retain talent in the country. "I think you should get, automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country and that includes junior colleges, too," Trump stated.
Trump's shift from previous hardline immigration stance
"I know of stories where people graduate from a top college, or from a college, and they desperately wanted to stay here. They had a plan for a company, a concept and they can't," Trump responded when someone commented, "We need high-skilled workers in this country." "They go back to India...China, they do the same basic company in those places and they become multi-billionaires employing thousands and thousands of people, and it could have been done here," he added.
Trump's proposal contrasts with previous immigration policies
Trump's new proposal stands in stark contrast to his previous policies, which included curbs on legal immigration such as family-based visas and the visa lottery program. His administration also issued the "Buy American and Hire American" executive order, aimed at ensuring business visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled American applicants. Analysis by the libertarian Cato Institute had also claimed that during his presidency, Trump cut the number of green cards and immigrant visas by 418,453 and 11,178,668 respectively.
Trump made similar comments during his 2016 campaign
The former US president made similar comments during his 2016 campaign, only to restrict legal migration during his tenure in office. When asked about visas for highly qualified workers during a 2016 Republican primary debate, Trump stated, "We need highly skilled people in this country." However, under Trump's presidency, visa denials and renewals rose, making it more difficult for some noncitizen workers to remain in the US.
Trump's immigration stance amid Biden's visa regulation efforts
Trump's new stance on immigration comes as President Joe Biden is making efforts to ease visa regulations for spouses of US citizens and streamline procedures for "Dreamers," undocumented migrants brought to the US as children. These measures would enable them to obtain work visas with college degrees and high-skilled job offers. Biden said the plan represented his commitment to "keeping families together," a clear contrast to Trump's "zero tolerance" border policies, which separated hundreds of children from their parents.
