Thursday, August 4, 2016

Melania Trump (who has been in the news lately due to the attention given to some photos taken some years ago), wife of Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, has been insistent that she came to the United States the "right," and legal, way. Ben Schreckinger and Gabriel Debenedetti on Politico raise fascinating questions about the accuracy of a key aspect of Trump’s biography: her immigration status when she first came to the United States to work as a model. Although some might not want to focus attention on Melania's immigration issues, the strident positions that the Trumps have taken on legal versus "illegal" mmigration are likely to make this story one with legs. Other media outlets, including The Atlantic and The Hill, are picking up on this story that just might go viral.

ImmigrationProf blog Kit Johnson considered the immigration law legalities surrounding fashion model visas in this article.

UPDATE (August 4, 20161:30 PST):

Jose Antonio Vargas, Founder of Define American, ​Official Statement:​

“Immigration is the least understood yet most politicized conversation in America today. In light of recent inquiries into Melania Trump’s potential past visa violations on her way to becoming a naturalized American citizen, Donald Trump and his family are experiencing the confusion that so many immigrants and our families face on a daily basis as we try to navigate an irredeemably flawed immigration system. At Define American, we believe that sharing our individual immigration stories helps transcend politics and humanize this complex issue. It is in that spirit that we offer our story bank, which is the largest collection of immigration stories online, to the Trump family as a resource while they begin the process of learning more about this issue and why fixing our broken immigration system can’t be done through building walls or banning immigrants of certain faiths.

In addition, Define American has started a petition inviting Melania Trump to join our ​"Coming Out" campaign by sharing her own immigration story more fully with the people of her adopted home country of America, which she may one day represent to the world as our First Lady. Melania Trump is part of a long and storied lineage of immigrants who, in search of a better life and future, have bravely immigrated here, worked hard and proved, time and again, that immigrants make America great. Define American stands by all American immigrants, regardless of status, which is why our offer to help Mrs. Trump tell her full immigration story will stand past the current political season.”

About Define American Define American is a media and culture organization using the power of stories to transcend politics and shift the conversation around immigration and citizenship in a changing America. The organization was founded in 2011 by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas. For more information, visit defineamerican.com.

KJ

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2016/08/gaps-in-melania-trumps-immigration-story-raise-questions.html