Students are being ripped off the streets. Visas of at least 300 international students have been revoked. The legal status of 530,000 Haitians, Venezuelans, Nicaraguans and Cubans has been removed. This is the state of the current immigration crisis in the United States. But there’s no need to worry! Ever since President Donald J. Trump unveiled his “gold card” visa program on April 3, one can guarantee permanent residency by buying a card for the low price of five million dollars. Gold cards, however, violate the Constitution and are not ethical, especially in a time when unlawful detentions and deportations are frequent.
Gold cards, firstly, are unconstitutional, as Trump hopes to use the gold cards to replace the Employer-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) Immigrant Investor Program, which currently allows foreign investors to obtain a green card by investing 800,000 to 1,050,000 dollars, meaning gold cards allow permanent residency to be directly “bought.” On the other hand, investors in the EB-5 program are still required to go through an intensive legal process. Although the president does not possess the power to terminate the EB-5 program or establish the gold card visa program without approval from Congress, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick claims that 1,000 have already been sold.
This blatant disregard for the Constitution and federal law is a threat to democracy as a whole, since gold cards will significantly monopolize power in the hands of the rich. Boston Latin School AP U.S. History teacher Mr. Dominic Rinaldi expresses his concern: “It is stripping away protocol, procedure [and] things we’ve operated under historically. […] This intrinsically narrows it down to the wealthiest people. [….] This is really just about consolidating the controlling mechanisms of our entire society in the hands of a wealthy class.”
Beyond the legal ramifications, gold cards also pose ethical issues. Their arrival comes during an insensitive time, as they allow wealthy foreign investors to bypass the immigration process while many legal residents are being detained without reason. When Trump remarks that immigrants “poison the blood of our country” while promoting the immigration of the rich, it seems as though the administration is punishing poverty, not protecting our borders. BLS Mock Trial member Ryan Murphy (III) says, “[Gold cards] show that Trump cares more about […] the richest one percent instead of the normal people.”
By offering gold cards for sale, Trump sends out the callous message that the wealthy should automatically be granted permanent citizenship, a privilege that is prized and longed for by millions of other immigrants going through the arduous process. Lucy Zhang (II), a first-generation immigrant, states, “It’s very much a double standard. Yeah, that’s the first word that came to mind. Because on one hand, they’re taking that money from people, but on the other hand, they’re using that money to deport people, […] so it’s very ironic.” Trump is not only favoring the rich, but also contradicting his own views on immigration.
This double standard limits social mobility, the very essence of the American Dream. As BLS Mock Trial member Leo Margalit (IV) says, “Gold cards [challenge] the idea of America making a land of opportunity, as many [immigrants] have bought into that promise — people will be offended that you can just buy it.” Not only does it harm prospective immigrants from other countries but it also negatively affects American citizens themselves. By basing power on wealth and attempting to get the richest people to bypass the immigration procedure, gold cards impair upward mobility as a whole.
Some, on the other hand, may argue that welcoming wealthy foreign investors through gold cards will be a beneficial way to generate more revenue for the U.S.’s infrastructure. Unlike the EB-5 program, however, which requires individuals to create ten jobs for American citizens, there is no such job generation requirement for the gold card plan. These investors will only be making a one-time, shallow investment that will not benefit American citizens in the long run. Last year, the EB-5 program added three billion dollars to the U.S. economy, which means that replacing the EB-5 program with gold cards is not only unconstitutional, but also detrimental to the economy and social mobility.
If the U.S. is truly a land of opportunity, then opportunity should be readily available to all — not just those who can afford to pay five million dollars for it. As members of the diverse student body of BLS, it is important to unite and advocate for equal opportunities, regardless of our individual backgrounds, especially as gold cards deepen tensions surrounding immigration. This starts with each student –– to be able to voice one’s story, educate oneself on pressing issues, build community and offer support to others — so that we can ensure that in this time of crisis we stand together as one.