This is an unexpected turnabout for the Republican who was previously renowned for taking a hard line on immigration.
Former US President Donald Trump has declared that foreign graduates of US institutions would immediately receive green cards from him if he were to be re-elected.
This is an unexpected turnabout for the Republican who was previously renowned for taking a hard line on immigration.
In a podcast discussion with Silicon Valley tech investors on Thursday, Trump pledged to streamline the procedure for attracting skilled individuals to the United States, according to Al Jazeera.
He also stated that anyone graduating from a US college should be allowed to stay in the country.
While speaking on the All-In Podcast, hosted by Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, and David Friedberg, Trump said, “It’s so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, the greatest schools, and lesser schools that are phenomenal schools also.
“I think you should get, automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country and that includes junior colleges, too.”
A green card grants individuals the privilege of permanent residence and employment in the United States, with a potential route to citizenship.
Trump’s proposal marks a substantial departure from the hardline immigration policies that characterized his rise to power in the Republican Party and might result in hundreds of thousands more applications for citizenship each year.
Trump, who has made divisive comments about immigrants in the past, has promised that if he wins the election in November, he will carry out the greatest mass deportation of undocumented immigrants in US history.
His Democratic opponent, President Joe Biden, has drawn constant criticism from him for his lax immigration policies.
Trump criticized Biden’s recently implemented program, which allows undocumented spouses of US citizens to apply for permanent citizenship without having to leave the country, during a campaign rally on Tuesday in Wisconsin.
Trump said, “Our country is under invasion. We should not be talking amnesty, we should be talking about stopping the invasion instead.”
Approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants are residing in the United States without legal status, according to estimates provided by the Department of Homeland Security.
