As Donald Trump charges forward with his ambitious immigration policies, his wife Melania Trump’s visa history comes under the spotlight.
Recently, the former President has made waves by threatening to deport a New York mayoral candidate from Uganda, along with Elon Musk, originally from South Africa. Further fueling the debate, Trump has proposed a new migrant detention plan for Florida, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”
This surge in immigration efforts gained momentum after a significant Supreme Court decision that limits lower courts’ power to hinder Trump’s birthright citizenship restrictions. This ruling carries deep implications for countless immigrant families across the nation.
These actions are part of a larger Republican agenda aiming to end illegal immigration and remove millions of undocumented individuals from the United States.
In a show of support, Melania Trump, now 55, visited an immigrant processing center in Tucson, Arizona, praising the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. Yet, her visit has reopened discussions surrounding her own immigration journey from Slovenia to America.
Many were quick to point out that during the mid-1990s, Melania reportedly worked in the United States without the proper visa.
Initial Arrival and Visa Controversy
Melania first arrived in the United States in August of 1996 on a B‑1/B‑2 tourist visa, a permit which does not allow employment. Within two months, she transitioned to an H‑1B visa, which permitted her to work as a model legally.
However, an investigation by the Associated Press revealed that she earned approximately $20,056 from modeling work during the two months before her H‑1B visa approval — an act that went against immigration regulations at the time.
Despite rectifying her status later on, obtaining a green card, and eventually becoming a US citizen in 2006, critics pointed out her initial seven-week infraction. One observer noted the irony, saying, “Melania Trump violated immigration law in 1996 by working on a tourist visa. Now, she’s applauding ICE for detaining immigrants.”
Questions surrounding her past actions arose, with comments such as, “Why hasn’t she been deported?” and “Others are sent back for similar violations. Why not her?”
A social media user highlighted the inconsistency, suggesting, “She worked while on a visitor visa, which is illegal. Yet she was allowed to stay.”
This has led various voices, especially from left-leaning commentators, to wonder if Trump’s stringent deportation measures might one day extend to his wife. On platforms like Reddit, sentiments such as “Melania should be deported” have surfaced, alongside comparisons to Elon Musk.
One user remarked: “Melania came on a tourist visa, worked illegally, and now benefits from the very system she circumvented. Is this not deserving of scrutiny?”
The echoes of this controversy continue to ripple across social media, prompting questions like “How can ordinary people report them to ICE?”
