February 25, 2017

Melania would have been deported if Trump has been president when she arrived in US

Independent, UK - Melania Trump could have been deported and banned from the US if Donald Trump had been president when she was working as a model in the 1990s, immigration attorneys have said.

In 1996, Ms Trump—then Knauss—was paid for modelling work undertaken in the United States while travelling on a visitor—or tourist—visa, violating the terms of entry, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press.

The first lady allegedly earned more than $20,000  in the seven weeks before she acquired legal permission to work in the country.

She went on to apply for a green card in 2001 and became a naturalised US citizen in 2006 without disclosing any past indiscretions.

Under new rules brought in by Mr Trump last month, immigration officials are now required to prioritize the removal of any foreign national who has “engaged in fraud or willful misrepresentation in connection with any official matter or application before a government agency”.

Ms Trump put herself into this category when she violated her visa and did not disclose the indiscretion when applying for future travel and residency permits, a pair of immigration lawyers told the Slate website.

She would likely have faced deportation under Mr Trump's 25 January executive order if it had been in effect and she had been caught in the 1990s, or in fact at any point before becoming a naturalized US citizen in 2005.

No comments: