Melania used a visa criticized by Trump to get her parents' US citizenship.
President Donald Trump's in-laws now officially hold U.S. citizenship, a status they were able to achieve through the sponsorship of their adult daughter, Melania Trump. It is precisely one of the categories of family visas that the government of her son-in-law has tried to end.
Viktor and Amalija Knavs, the first lady's parents, obtained citizenship on Thursday, her immigration attorney Michael Wildes announced. "Everything went well and they are very grateful for this wonderful day for their family," Wildes said in a statement provided to CNN.
The first lady's office declined to comment.
Viktor and Amalija Knavs, who hail from Slovenia, were living in the United States on permanent residency cards (known as greeen cards) and since their son-in-law became president they have also been seen frequently in Washington.
A source with direct knowledge of Melania's parents and their immigration status told CNN that the first lady sponsored them to obtain green cards, which allowed them to live and work indefinitely in the United States, as well as pave the way to citizenship. . That type of family visa is exactly one of the categories that Trump and his allies have tried to revoke, arguing that they are harmful to the country.
Wildes did not comment on how the Knavs got their green cards or nationality, but he did criticize the Trump administration to CNN. "I firmly believe in the principles of family reunification, which is a pillar of immigration law and policy and has happily brought millions of people to our shores," he said.
Pressed on the fact that the president has fiercely criticized family immigration and often refers to it as “chain immigration,” Wildes responded: “I cannot comment on the president's policies when it comes to my clients, but personally I can I have opposed them ”.
There are very few ways that immigrants to the United States can obtain their green cards. And most of those that are delivered each year are based on family ties. A much smaller number is assigned according to work and other categories that include refugees and other special cases. Proponents of restricting legal immigration point to the imbalance of favoring family relationships as proof that there must be reform. In that sense, they ask for a system "based on merit" that chooses immigrants with respect to what the US needs.
The United States allows its citizens and lawful permanent residents a series of alternatives to sponsor their family members, with the objective that they arrive in the country permanently, including the categories of parents, adult siblings and adult children, both married and as singles.
Trump and his allies in Congress have fought to slash these options dramatically, limiting sponsorship to only apply to spouses and children under the age of 18. Experts estimate that this measure could reduce overall immigration to the United States by between 40% and 50%, if these green cards are not redistributed into other categories. In fact, Trump has advocated a "merit-based" system, but has not proposed any method of admission for immigrants in immigrants in the country to replace the above categories.
Viktor and Amalija Knavs, 73 and 71, respectively, are retired, and maintain regular contact with the Trump family, often traveling with the first family to Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster, New Jersey.
