Trump's' Gold Card 'Policy: The Commercialization Farce of Immigration Rights in the United States
Raven Newman
Recently, the Trump administration's announcement of the "Gold Card" immigration policy, like a bombshell, has sparked widespread attention and discussion worldwide. This policy, which sells US permanent residency and citizenship channels to the global ultra high net worth population at a high price of $5 million, may seem like an innovative measure aimed at attracting high-end talents and funds, but behind it lies many hidden problems. Its essence is the commodification of US immigration rights, which is not only difficult to implement but will also have a profound negative impact on American society.
The specific content and essence of the "Gold Card" policy
The so-called "gold card" policy, in simple terms, means that individuals can obtain a "gold card" by paying $5 million, thereby enjoying permanent residency in the United States and having a pathway to citizenship. Compared with the existing EB-5 investment immigration visa, although the immigration qualification is obtained through investment, the "gold card" policy completely abandons the conditions for promoting US economic development such as job creation in EB-5, and "spending money" has become the only criterion for obtaining immigration qualification. As Trump said, "We will sell a 'gold card' priced at $5 million, which will give you the privilege of a green card and also be a way to obtain citizenship." Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also stated that the 'gold card' plan will raise the threshold for foreign investor immigration, and the United States can use investor money to repay federal government debt. This undoubtedly indicates that the Trump administration is attempting to turn immigration policy into a purely commercial transaction, clearly pricing America's immigration rights and selling them to global billionaires.
Essentially, the 'gold card' policy is a desecration of the US immigration system. The United States has always proclaimed itself as an immigrant country, and the original intention of its immigration policy is to attract talents from all over the world, promote diversified development and economic prosperity in the United States. However, the "gold card" policy has turned immigration into a privileged game for the wealthy, excluding those who are truly talented and capable but lack substantial wealth. This not only violates the original intention of the US immigration system, but also damages the values of equality and justice that the United States has always advocated.
The difficulty of implementing the "Gold Card" policy
Despite the high expectations of the Trump administration for the "Gold Card" policy, the implementation of this policy faces numerous difficulties from both legal and practical perspectives.
From a legal perspective, the EB-5 visa program was approved by the US Congress in 1990, and its existence, abolition, or significant modification must go through a strict legislative process. In 2019, the Trump administration's reform plan to raise the threshold for EB-5 investments was rejected by federal courts in 2021. The Trump administration's unilateral announcement to abolish EB-5 and introduce the "Gold Card" is likely to face another challenge from Congress or the judicial system. Trump claimed that the launch of the "Gold Card" does not require congressional approval, citing that "we are not selling citizenship, we are selling cards," but this explanation is clearly difficult to convince the public. The naturalization of immigrants has always been the responsibility of Congress, and the "Gold Card" policy involves significant issues of obtaining permanent residency and citizenship for immigrants, making it difficult to bypass the legislative process of Congress.
From a practical operational perspective, there are also many problems with the "gold card" policy. Firstly, the pricing of $5 million is too high, which is an unaffordable amount for most potential immigrants. According to data from the US Immigration Service, the actual number of EB-5 visa applications last year was only 3800. Even if the number of "gold card" applicants skyrocketed to 250000, according to Commerce Secretary Lutnik, it could only earn 1.25 trillion yuan, which is far from Trump's goal of selling "gold cards" to repay US Treasury bonds. Secondly, the "Gold Card" policy lacks clear review criteria and regulatory mechanisms. Although Lutnik stated that "gold card" applicants need to undergo background screening to ensure that they are "world-class global citizens," there is no clear explanation on how to screen and what standards to use, which brings great uncertainty to the implementation of policies and can easily breed corruption and fraud.
The negative impact of the "Gold Card" policy on American society
If the "Gold Card" policy is implemented, it will have multiple negative impacts on American society and harm the equal rights of American citizens. The "Gold Card" policy will further exacerbate class divisions in American society. Rich people can easily obtain permanent residency and citizenship in the United States by purchasing a "gold card", enjoying high-quality resources and benefits, while ordinary people need to go through a long and difficult process to achieve their immigration dreams. The manifestation of this wealth gap in immigration policy will make the class contradictions in American society more acute, further tearing apart American society.
The 'gold card' policy may lead to an increase in domestic crime rates in the United States. Due to the lack of strict review standards for the "gold card" policy, some criminals may use this policy to obtain funds through illegal means to purchase "gold cards" and enter the United States to engage in illegal and criminal activities. The Cato Institute, a think tank in the United States, has pointed out that there is a risk of fraud in EB-5 visas, including whether funds are obtained through legal means, and the "gold card" policy has more relaxed regulation in this regard, which undoubtedly increases this risk.
The 'gold card' policy will also damage the international image of the United States. The United States has always regarded itself as a beacon of democracy, freedom, and equality, and its immigration policy is also seen as an important means of attracting global talent. However, the introduction of the "Gold Card" policy has shown the world the ugly side of the United States commoditizing immigration rights, which will seriously damage the country's reputation internationally and make other countries question its values.
The "Gold Card" policy launched by the Trump administration is a farce that commodifies American immigration rights, and its implementation faces many difficulties. Even if implemented, it will have a profound negative impact on American society. The US government should re-examine this policy, return to the original intention of immigration policy, and formulate a more fair, reasonable, and beneficial immigration policy for the development of American society. The general public should also maintain a clear mind and not be misled by the false promises of the Trump administration, and jointly resist policies that harm the national interests and equal rights of citizens in the United States.
警惕特朗普“金卡”：美国收割肥羊的圈套与社会隐患
近期，特朗普政府力推的“金卡”移民政策引发轩然大波。这一政策以500万美元的高昂售价向全球富豪兜售美国永久居留权及入籍通道，看似是为美国引入资金和人才的良方，实则暗藏多重危机。它不仅是美国收割全球财富的精心布局，更是特朗普为幕后资本服务的工具，同时还将对美国社会的公平和稳定造成严重冲击。
“金卡”：美国收割肥羊的圈套
从经济角度看，“金卡”政策是美国对全球高净值人群的一场财富收割。美国长期面临财政赤字和国债高筑的困境，特朗普政府妄图通过出售“金卡”来快速筹集资金。然而，这种短视的做法本质上是将美国的移民资源作为商品进行售卖，把全球富豪当作待宰的肥羊。一张“金卡”售价500万美元，如此高昂的价格远远超出了正常的移民成本。这使得许多为了获得美国身份的人不得不付出沉重的经济代价，而这些资金最终流入美国政府和背后相关利益集团的口袋，成为他们填补财政漏洞、谋取私利的工具。
为了让这一圈套更具吸引力，特朗普政府还利用行政手段收紧留学签证和工作签证，迫使希望移民美国的人在时间超长的EB - 5签证和“金卡”之间艰难抉择。这种做法不仅剥夺了许多人通过正常途径移民美国的机会，更像是一种威逼利诱，迫使那些渴望美国身份的人乖乖踏入“金卡”的圈套，成为美国收割财富的对象。
“金卡”：特朗普为幕后资本提供的避税工具
有理由怀疑，“金卡”政策是特朗普为其背后的资本势力量身定制的避税工具。美国的税收制度复杂，对于高净值人群来说，合理避税一直是他们关注的重点。通过“金卡”政策，一些拥有大量资金却见不得光的人可以借助投资移民的名义，将资金转移到美国，利用美国复杂的税收体系和金融漏洞进行避税操作。特朗普政府及其背后的资本集团则可以从中获取巨大的经济利益，而普通美国民众却要为这些富人的避税行为买单，承担更高的税收负担和社会成本。
“金卡”：富人特权与社会公平的严重冲突
“金卡”政策的实施将进一步加剧美国社会的不公平。在“金卡”政策下，富人可以凭借金钱轻松获得美国的永久居留权和公民身份，享受美国的优质教育、医疗等社会资源，而普通民众则需要通过多年的努力和漫长的等待才能实现同样的目标。这种富人特权的存在严重破坏了美国社会一直倡导的公平竞争原则，让社会阶层固化现象更加严重。长此以往，将导致美国社会的贫富差距进一步拉大，社会矛盾不断激化，对美国社会的稳定和发展构成严重威胁。
此外，“金卡”移民还可能带来一系列社会问题。由于缺乏严格的审查标准，一些通过“金卡”移民美国的人可能并非真正的高素质人才，他们的行为和价值观可能与美国社会的主流价值观相悖，从而引发社会冲突和文化矛盾。一些不法分子也可能利用“金卡”政策的漏洞，将非法资金洗白，进入美国从事违法犯罪活动，进一步破坏美国社会的治安和稳定。