In a surprise U-turn, former President Donald Trump recently announced that, as president, he would grant automatic green cards to foreign students graduating from American colleges, in stark contrast to his hardline immigration policies.
During his presidency, Trump had placed multiple restrictions on skilled workers and even student visas, particularly through the H-1B program, which was roundly denounced by the technology sector.
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As expected, his new pledge was rapidly followed by clarifications from his campaign, narrowing the eligibility to only the “most skilled” graduates after a rigorous vetting process.
Conspicuously absent from last night’s presidential debate was any significant discussion about the green card proposal, let alone the broader topic of legal immigration reforms.
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One can only imagine why they did not take up such a key issue when millions of overseas students and skilled workers are caught in the backlog of the current system.
While Trump’s proposal focuses on highly skilled individuals to help drive the U.S. economy and innovation, it comes at a time when green card backlogs stretch well into decades.
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Some skeptical critics argue that even if Trump—or any presidential candidate, such as Kamala Harris—pushes for these changes, deep-rooted problems in the immigration system cannot be resolved without action from Congress. For successive administrations, immigration reform, including the expansion of green cards, has remained unresolved and largely unaddressed.
Why did neither candidate push Trump’s Green Card proposal during the debate? Is the promise of green cards an electoral maneuver or a serious commitment to immigration reform? These questions linger, and time will reveal whether this latest stance leads to real policy momentum or is merely an attempt to sway voters.
