On Sept. 19, Trump released the Gold Card. Consisting of a $1 million gift to the United States (if applying individually), and an expedited naturalization process, this card grants high earning individuals the equivalent of an EB-1 or EB-2 Green Card and permanent residency in the US.
Following a stream of decisions to curb immigration to the United States, this comes as the latest effort to encourage wealthy individuals to bring their business to America. People can either donate $1 million, or a company can sponsor an employee for $2 million– effectively bringing international ventures to American soil. These donations will be going directly to the Secretary of Commerce, in order to lower taxes and mitigate the U.S.’s outstanding debt. “It’s going to be a route to citizenship, and wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card. They will be wealthy, they will be successful, they will be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes,” said Trump in a statement on Tuesday evening.
However, this comes amid attempts to decrease immigration to the United States with strict border policies and increased funding for detention facilities across the continent. The Trump Administration is pursuing an additional $45 billion to fund migrant detention facilities, which are generally characterized by sub-par living conditions with little access to heat, nourishment and having frequent physical abuse. Erasing barriers for elites migrating to the United States, while also actively funding ICE raids and camps, seems counterintuitive to the general Trump agenda of decreasing migration to the U.S.
Trump’s move raises questions regarding the power of the President and his authority in the political sphere. Generally, Congress sets immigration laws, with the Executive branch enforcing them through programs such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). However, Trump claims that this is a legal move due to this card providing nothing more than permanent residency– not citizenship.
This leads to questions regarding the target demographic of this card. In a statement made during the unveiling, Trump has motioned to summon Russian oligarchs and wealthy business owners in order to manufacture profits within the United States economy. However, this also opens the door to cartel bosses looking to bring business into the U.S. If a specific cartel controls a market, either internationally or domestically, they are able to average at least $6 billion per annum, simply on trades to America (as per the Drug Enforcement Administration). Due to a lack of paper trails, it is also increasingly difficult to track the members of these organizations. This could lead to wealthy individuals with little to no criminal record being able to use this Gold Card to their advantage– and legitimizing their migration to the U.S.
The United States was founded on ideals of democracy, an impartial checks and balances system and an implied opportunity for social mobility. A one time, $1 million gift to the United States will not eradicate the federal debt, and will not even put a dent in the amount that Trump has used to fund detention programs against those same immigrants. So, it leads us to wonder: what is his political agenda? Whether it be bringing foreign elites to America, or justifying the “Big Beautiful Bill’s” massive spending, the Gold Card degrades those essential American systems, and paves the way for an emerging plutocracy with lessened moral ideals and a dedication to protecting the wealthy.
