 "Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event, in Racine, Wisconsin, 18 June, 2024. Reuters")
Former United States president and the Republican party’s presidential candidate Donald Trump recently made a surprising proposal to offer automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from US colleges. This idea represents a significant departure from his traditionally hardline stance on immigration.
Trump expressed the aforementioned desire in an interview on Thursday (20 June). He made these remarks during the “All-In” podcast, hosted by venture capitalists and tech investors.
“What I want to do and what I will do is you graduate from a college, 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, anybody graduates from a college. You go there for two years or four years,” Trump stated, stating his intention to address this on his first day in office.
Trump’s suggestion marks a dramatic shift from his typical anti-immigrant rhetoric. Offering green cards to potentially hundreds of thousands of foreign graduates could significantly expand America’s immigration system.
Traditionally, Trump has linked illegal immigration to public safety risks and job losses for American citizens. He has previously promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in US history if re-elected.
Why is Trump’s statement contradictory in nature?
Trump and his allies have often distinguished between legal and illegal immigration. However, during his presidency, Trump also proposed restrictions on legal immigration, including family-based visas and the visa lottery program.
He issued the “Buy American and Hire American” executive order in 2017, aiming to award business visas only to the highest-paid or most skilled applicants. Trump has criticised the H1-B visa program, used by companies to hire foreign workers temporarily, calling it “very bad” and accusing tech companies of using it to hire cheaper foreign labour.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsDuring his presidency, Trump’s administration took several steps to curb the use of skilled foreign workers. One notable move was the attempt to force tens of thousands of foreign students to leave the US if their schools transitioned to online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic. This order was later rescinded following legal challenges and opposition from educational institutions.
Trump has consistently emphasised his hardline stance on immigration throughout his campaign speeches, often using inflammatory rhetoric. He has compared migrants to fictional characters like Hannibal Lecter and made unsubstantiated claims about migrants bringing contagious diseases.
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In 2019, Trump proposed a merit-based immigration system prioritising highly skilled migrants. However, he also signed an executive order in 2020 that froze new visas for foreign workers.
Despite his new proposal, Trump blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for his inability to implement these measures while in office. He recounted stories of graduates from top colleges who wanted to stay in the US but were forced to return to their native countries, such as India and China, where they became successful entrepreneurs.
“You need a pool of people to work for your company. And they have to be smart people. Not everybody can be less than smart. You need brilliant people,” Trump said.
Trump’s campaign clarifies…
Following the podcast, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt issued a statement clarifying that only after “the most aggressive vetting process in US history” would the most skilled graduates be allowed to stay.
“President Trump has outlined the most aggressive vetting process in US history, to exclude all communists, radical Islamists, Hamas supporters, America haters, and public charges. He believes, only after such vetting has taken place, we ought to keep the most skilled graduates who can make significant contributions to America,” Leavitt said.
What has the reaction been?
While some view it as a progressive step towards retaining talent in the US, others remain sceptical given Trump’s history of restrictive immigration policies. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, told Reuters, “I almost have to laugh because his administration adopted multiple policies aiming to restrict student visas and make it harder for people to stay in the country after graduating.”
David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya, venture capitalists and hosts of the “All-In” podcast, have shown support for Trump’s proposal. They hosted a fundraiser for Trump in San Francisco earlier this month, raising approximately $12 million for his campaign.
If implemented, Trump’s proposal could significantly increase the number of green cards issued. The US State Department estimated that the US hosted roughly one million international students in the academic year ending in 2022, with the majority from China and India. Granting green cards to these graduates could vastly expand the pathway to US citizenship.
Also Read: Will Trump abolish income tax? Here’s what US economy may look like if he wins
Now, campaigning for another term in the White House, Trump continues to focus on anti-immigrant rhetoric, which contrasts sharply with this latest proposal of the former US president.
With inputs from agencies
Anmol is a Senior Sub-Editor with Firstpost. He likes to cover stories that amuse him, generally revolving around international polity, Indian foreign policy, human interest, environment and even the politically-charged election cycles in India. He has far too many disparate interests with a constant itch for travel. Having visited fourteen states in the Indian subcontinent, he is always on the lookout for opportunities to add more to the list. He enjoys watching Football, Tennis and F1 purely as a sports enthusiast.