With “Report to Deport” Registry and “Oligarchy Visa” Plans, Trump Administration Offers Disturbing Encapsulation of Priorities

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Washington, DC — Two new immigration policy plans from the Trump administration encapsulate their disturbing worldview on immigration and beyond, underscoring the potential harms for all Americans.

• New “report to deport” immigration registry: Reporting yesterday highlights the Trump administration plans to establish an immigrant registry for those 14 years old and older and here without legal status, seeking to criminalize what is a civil violation and further laying the groundwork for indiscriminate mass deportations as well as fear that leads to self-deportations of long-settled undocumented workers and family members. It’s a disturbing Trump update to the failed idea of earlier Republican lawmakers encouraging immigrants to “report to deport.”

• New “oligarchy visa” for wealthy foreigners to buy their way to U.S. citizenship: President Trump also highlighted his plan for what amounts to an “oligarchy visa” – a new “gold card” visa that would allow wealthy foreigners to purchase lawful permanent residency for $5 million. As NPR reported, President Trump “said the program … would bring in ‘very high-level people’ … Asked by a reporter whether Russian oligarchs could apply for ‘gold cards,’ Trump said — seemingly tongue-in-cheek — ‘Yeah, possibly. Hey, I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.’”

According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:

“The ‘report to deport’ registry and the ‘oligarchy visa’ together offer a perfect encapsulation of Trump-ism and his goals for immigration and remaking America in MAGA’s image. On the one hand, he’s aiming to expel millions of long-settled hard-working immigrants who embody the values of hard work, opportunity, and the American Dream, and on the other, he’s inviting wealthy foreigners to buy their way into U.S. residency – a potential free pass for corrupt oligarchs. America has always been built by hard-working people not by millionaires who seek to grow their wealth at the expense of working people.”

Of note, the details of the new registry for immigrants are a disturbing Trump spin on the “report to deport” idea from the George W. Bush era of Republican immigration policymaking. As Michelle Hackman of the Wall Street Journal described of the registry:

“Immigrants in the country illegally including children 14 and older would be required to submit fingerprints and home addresses to the registry … Immigrants who qualify but fail to register could be fined up to $5,000 and sentenced to up to six months in prison … The move to criminalize being in the U.S. illegally would build on the Trump administration’s efforts to toughen immigration laws. Previously, immigrants in the country illegally were committing a civil offense and could be detained and deported, but weren’t considered to have committed a crime.”

And the immigrant populations who would likely be subject to the registry are vital to many American communities and industries. For example:

• A Travel Weekly story, “Hospitality grapples with specter of mass deportations,” notes: “While we have not yet seen mass deportation, that is on our minds, and there is a concern [about] what happens if that comes,” said [Yariv Ben-Ari, chair of the Real Estate Hospitality Practice at New York law firm Herrick Feinstein], adding that hotel operators are particularly worried about potential staffing shortages in housekeeping, food and beverage service and other roles.”

• San Francisco Public Press story, “Mass Deportation Threats Put Caregivers, Seniors, Disabled People on High Alert,” notes, “President Donald Trump’s promises to implement mass deportations and other potential changes to immigration policies could strain an already-understaffed health care workforce, making it harder for older adults and people with disabilities to receive care at home and in nursing facilities.”