As undocumented individuals with and without criminal backgrounds are being deported from the US daily, President Trump announced on February 25th that he will introduce a new visa program catering to high-net-worth individuals “somewhat like a green card, but at a higher level of sophistication” to live permanently in the US for payment of five million dollars. Hailed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick as the “Trump Gold Card”, Trump announced his plan to buy into the road to US citizenship to reporters in the oval office and expanded on his plan during a cabinet meeting on the 26th.

The President predicts the “gold card” will open the doors to wealthy, successful individuals who in turn will spend a lot and pay a lot in taxes. The administration claims that the gold card will replace the EB-5 visa program which allows foreign investors to obtain green cards by making job-creating investments in the US of at least one million dollars or $800 thousand in distressed areas. Looking to launch the program in two weeks, the President may have some setbacks as Migration Policy Institute spokesperson Michelle Mittelstadt states, “[T]he executive branch has “significant leeway” to adjust existing visa programs, but not create new ones” that power belongs to Congress.

Judging from the proposal, the Trump administration’s immigration agenda is to forget the “tired, poor huddled masses yearning to breathe free” that the Statue of Liberty welcomes and instead, open our doors to the “wonderful, world-class global citizens” willing to pay $5 million to live in the US.