FROM Washington Examiner: President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday officially creating the ‘Gold’ and ‘Platinum’ cards for heavy-pocketed immigrants wanting to get into the country.
The ‘Gold’ card will cost $1 million, and the ‘Platinum’ card will cost $5 million.
Trump previously pitched the gold card as a replacement for the EB-5 visa program.
“It’s going to hopefully bring some great people to our country,” Trump said. “This way a corporation – sort of like a signing bonus in baseball or football – a corporation will be able to get them to stay in the country.”
The president believes the program will bring in over $100 billion for the Treasury, which he plans to use for tax cuts and debt repayment. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the program will only select the most exceptional individuals.
USA TODAY reports, “Trump’s fees are part of his strategy to favor U.S. citizens over foreign workers and comes amid a broader crackdown on immigration, which includes mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and an end to allowing asylum seekers into the country while their cases are pending. The State Department announced in August it would require a $15,000 bond for visa holders, under a new program.”
Lutnick said so-called green cards have been granted to about 281,000 people per year. They earned an average $66,000 “and were often likely to go on public assistance,” according to USA TODAY.
“It was illogical,” Lutnick said.
He said the gold card fee is a way of ensuring that the US gets the best workers to remain permanently.
“We’re going to only take extraordinary people at the very top,” he explained.
Watch Trump’s full remarks and his Q & A with the press below. Scroll down for a summary and Trump’s Truth Social post on the EOs.
The information listed is from WashingtonExaminer.
