Republicans turn on Trump for new border policy that would allow ‘brilliant’ migrants with degrees to STAY in the U.S.
Former President Donald Trump has a new idea to deport all illegal immigrants — but would give “brilliant” foreign-born college graduates an “automatic” green card — a proposal that has earned him scorn from some on the right.
Trump first made the call this week on the ‘All-In’ podcast: ‘[What] I want to do, and what I’m going to do, is you graduate from a university. I think you should get a green card, automatically as part of your degree, to stay in this country. This also applies to junior colleges,” he said in the episode recorded on Wednesday.
“Anyone who graduates from a university, you go there for two or four years. “If you graduate or get a PhD from a university, you should be able to stay in this country,” he continued.
Donald Trump has a new idea to deport all illegal immigrants – but would give ‘brilliant’ foreign-born graduates an ‘automatic’ green card – a proposal that has earned him scorn from some on the right
His campaign later added that this would be limited to those who have been “properly vetted.”
Trump has insisted in recent months that he would work to deport all illegal immigrants if he were re-elected president in November.
“A two-year degree in political science should NOT get you legal residency in the U.S.,” Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wrote on X.
‘I am for legal immigration. We must welcome competent people who can strengthen our republic and who share the values enshrined in our Constitution. But this isn’t it!’
“Wrong,” shot Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, back on the idea on , 3) the university overestimates anti-American trash, 4) not all degrees/jobs are the same, 5) stop paying people not to work/educate Americans.”
David Sacks, one of the podcast hosts, asked if he would expand H1-B work visas for tech workers after the border was established, to which Trump responded in the affirmative. He complained that “highly skilled” workers were leaving the US due to visa problems.
‘Someone who graduates at the top of the class can’t even make a deal with the company because he thinks he can’t stay in the country. That ends on Day 1,” Trump said.
“It’s so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, from the best schools,” he added.
The new proposal appeared to be a reach for his growing support in Silicon Valley. Earlier this month, Trump raised $12 million in a fundraiser for the technology industry. A growing horde of tech magnates who once reliably donated to Democrats are now switching to support Trump.
President Biden announced his own new immigration policy earlier this week: allowing the 500,000 undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to remain in the country. The White House has framed the new election year policy as a way “to keep families together.”
The new policy would allow irregular migrants who have been in the country for at least ten years and are married to a U.S. citizen, and their children, to apply for permanent residency without leaving the country.