Despite the fact that President Donald Trump incessantly denounces “chain migration,” the First Lady’s Slovenian parents recently acquired U.S. citizenship through the sponsorship of their daughter, who is also an immigrant. The blatant hypocrisy exhibited by the president has left critics with the conclusion that Trump only despises chain migration from what he has described as “shithole countries.”
On Thursday, Trump’s Slovenian in-laws, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, became U.S. citizens during a private ceremony in Manhattan after obtaining green cards and permanent residency in the United States. They were sponsored by their daughter, Melania, who entered the U.S. on an EB-1 visa, that is also referred to as an “Einstein visa,” for her “extraordinary ability” as a model.
On November 1, 2017, the president tweeted, “CHAIN MIGRATION must end now! Some people come in, and they bring their whole family with them, who can be truly evil. NOT ACCEPTABLE!”
In a recent statement to CNN, the Knavs’ immigration attorney, Michael Wildes said, “It went well and they are very grateful and appreciative of this wonderful day for their family.”
Wildes added, “I believe strongly in the principles of family reunification, which is a bedrock of immigration policy and law and has brought millions of people happily to our shores.”
When asked about the president’s comments regarding chain migration, Wildes responded, “I can’t comment on the President’s politics when it comes to my clients, but I have stood up against the President’s immigration policies personally.”
On Thursday, Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist and political commentator, took to Twitter and wrote, “I guess when it’s Melania’s Family, it’s ‘family reunification’ and should be applauded. Everybody else, it’s ‘chain migration’ and must be stopped.”
Responsible for the vile policy devised to separate families and place children in cages in an attempt to deter immigration, Trump continues to target Hispanic immigrants as both a distraction to his own evolving scandals and as a scapegoat for his supporters to blame for rising costs and stagnant incomes. But when members of Trump’s own family use chain migration to become U.S. citizens, the president has nothing to say about his glaring hypocrisy.
Taking into consideration that Trump’s in-laws came to the U.S. from a country in Central Europe, instead of Central America or Mexico, one cannot forget his words earlier this year during a meeting with a bipartisan group of senators at the White House. In January, the president referred to Haiti and African nations as “shithole countries” while stating a desire for more immigrants coming to the U.S. from countries like Norway.
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