Trump Proposes Green Cards For Foreign Graduates

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Facts

  • Former US Pres. Donald Trump has suggested 'automatically' providing green cards to foreign students graduating from US colleges, including junior colleges.1
  • During an interview with the All-In Podcast posted Thursday, the Republican presidential contender took a U-turn from his usual rhetoric, promising to attract talent to the US.2
  • Trump's campaign officials later clarified that the potential policy would require an 'aggressive vetting process' that would see it applied to only the 'most skilled graduates.'3
  • Trump said he knew of graduates from top colleges who 'had a plan for a company, a concept,' but could not stay. 'That is going to end on day one,' he said.4
  • Foreign students in the US can currently stay between one and three years, depending on their major. In 2023, over 340K people reportedly had such permission.5
  • Trump's comments come after Pres. Joe Biden recently announced an initiative to grant a residency pathway to immigrants who are married to Americans.6

Sources: 1NBC, 2Al Jazeera, 3New York Times, 4Politico, 5Washington Post and 6Vanity Fair.

Narratives

  • Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by Forbes. International students, particularly in STEM fields, fill essential roles in the workforce, boosting local economies and addressing labor shortages. They account for a significant percentage of graduate students in electrical engineering and computer science, contributing to job creation and lowering unemployment rates. If Americans want a strong, healthy economy, they should support more work permits for these students.
  • Anti-Trump narrative, as provided by Fairus. Proponents of Green Cards for foreign students are doing the bidding of greedy corporations, not the American people. Understandably, foreign STEM field students want jobs in the US, given that the same job in their home countries pays pennies to the dollar. However, they're still paid way less than an American-born STEM graduate. American college grads have just as much talent, and companies should put them first.
  • Narrative C, as provided by News9live. As November fast approaches, it seems that both presidential contenders are making big promises as they vie for the minority vote. However, with serious flaws in each of their policies—from Trump's about-face to Biden's failure to acknowledge an unmanageable backlog of undocumented spouses — it remains to be seen whether they will live up to these commitments given the opportunity.

Predictions