US Citizenship: Trump Wants To Sell Gold Cards To “High Level People”
Photo: Amazon.com
India-West News Desk
WASHINGTON, DC – Former President Donald Trump announced a new immigration initiative on February 25, introducing a $5 million “Gold Card” that would offer Green Card privileges and a route to U.S. citizenship. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump described the card as a more “sophisticated” version of the existing Green Card, designed to attract wealthy individuals, including he confirmed, Russian oligarchs.
“We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million, and that’s going to give you Green Card privileges, plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship,” Trump said. “Wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card. They’ll be successful, they’ll spend a lot of money, pay a lot of taxes, and employ a lot of people. We think it’s going to be extremely successful and has never been done before.”
The announcement comes alongside plans to eliminate the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, which has long offered a pathway to permanent residency for investors who meet specific job-creation and investment requirements. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick confirmed that the Trump administration intends to terminate the program, calling it “full of nonsense, make-believe, and fraud.”
“The EB-5 was a way to get a Green Card at a low price,” Lutnick said, contrasting it with the new Gold Card, which he argued would attract “very high-level people” capable of generating jobs and boosting the economy. Trump predicted that the initiative could result in the sale of “maybe a million” Gold Cards, bringing in what he called “big taxpayers and big job producers.”
The proposal echoes past controversies surrounding wealth-based immigration programs. The Independent noted that in 2017, Jared Kushner’s family faced criticism after his sister traveled to Beijing to market EB-5 Green Cards in exchange for investments in Kushner family real estate projects—an offer that a former White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush called “corruption, pure and simple.”
Trump’s plan to introduce a high-priced citizenship route comes as his administration continues to crack down on broader immigration, reinforcing a stark divide between pathways available to the wealthy versus those seeking asylum or work-based visas.
Veer
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Correction –
Donald trump is not “former President”
He is the current President – starting on 20th January 2025
Please make a correction !!
February 26, 2025Ajay Jain Bhutoria, CA
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President Trump’s New Gold Card Scheme
I’ve spent years pushing for immigration reforms that bring fairness and opportunity to the millions of talented, skilled individuals caught in the green card backlog—people who’ve played by the rules, contributed to our economy, and waited decades for a chance at stability. So, when I hear about these $5 million ‘gold cards’—a new path to citizenship for wealthy foreigners who can pay to create jobs—it raises serious concerns for me. This isn’t reform; it’s a pay-to-play scheme that sidelines the very people who’ve been the backbone of our workforce and communities.
I believe the idea that you can buy your way into a Green Card and citizenship for $5 million, while millions of skilled workers—engineers, doctors, tech experts—languish in a backlog that stretches over 50 years for some, especially from countries like India, is a slap in the face. These are individuals who’ve already proven their worth, paying taxes, driving innovation, and building lives here. They won’t benefit from this. Instead, we’re rolling out a red carpet for the ultra-wealthy, no backlog is required, just a fat check. That’s not sophistication—it’s elitism dressed up as policy.
I’ve advocated for recapturing unused green cards and easing the burden on H-1B holders because I believe in rewarding contribution, not just capital. Replacing the EB-5 program, which at least had a framework for job creation, with this ‘Trump gold card’ feels like a step backward. It’s not about building a merit-based system—it’s about who can afford the entry fee. We need solutions that clear the backlog, support families, and strengthen our economy inclusively, not auction off citizenship to the highest bidder.”
Ajay Jain Bhutoria, CA
February 27, 2025pemba
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At $ 5 million Citizenship of the USA is cheap. The rate should be not less than $10 million. Indians are paying $100K to human traffickers to enter the USA illegally, so they should be happy to pay $10 million for official citizenship of the USA.
February 27, 2025