Image Source: businesstoday.in
U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump, known for his previous tough stance on immigration, has revised his approach regarding green cards for foreign students graduating from U.S. universities. On June 21, during a podcast, Trump proposed that green cards should be automatically granted to these graduates to prevent them from leaving the U.S. and becoming successful elsewhere.
Trump emphasized the economic loss to the U.S. when students return to countries like India and China and establish successful businesses. “They become multi-billionaires employing thousands… and it could have been done here,” he said on the ‘All-In’ podcast.
He further suggested that issuing green cards should be integrated with graduation ceremonies, not just for top universities but also for junior colleges. This proposal marks a pivot from his previous policies, which heavily focused on restricting various forms of legal immigration, including rigorous measures against the H-1B visa program, often criticized by Trump as a ‘theft of American prosperity’.
Trump’s new stance taps into a critical electoral issue, reflecting a significant shift as he spoke of his regret over not implementing such measures during his first term due to the emergent COVID-19 pandemic. The podcast was notably hosted by venture capitalists, three of whom are immigrants, underscoring the changing dynamics of Trump’s policies as he campaigns for re-election.
