Donald Trump has revealed he wants to grant green cards to foreign graduates from US colleges, in an apparent softening of his typically hard-line view on immigration, a key election issue.
The Republican contender counterbalanced President Joe Biden’s recent crackdown on illegal border crossings by making the comments in a podcast that was released on Thursday, just days after the President proposed a citizenship option for immigrants married to US residents.
“What I want to do and what I will do is, when you graduate from college, I think you should automatically get, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country,” Trump told the All-In podcast.
A permanent resident card in the United States and a first step towards citizenship is usually referred to as a “green card.”
Trump mentioned that this should include “anybody who graduates from a college,” including those who complete two-year programmes, known as junior colleges, and doctoral graduates.
Responding to the question on the podcast if he would promise to help import the “best and brightest around the world to America,” Trump replied, “I do promise.”
He added, “I know of stories where people graduated from a top college, or from a college, and they desperately want to stay here… and they can’t.
“They go back to India; they go back to China. They do the same basic company in those places, and they become multi-billionaires employing thousands and thousands of people,” Trump said.
The former US president also said that US companies need “smart people,” adding, “They can’t even make a deal with a company because they don’t think they’re going to be able to stay in the country.”
“That is going to end on day one,” he added.
Trump imposed a travel restriction on citizens of primarily Muslim nations and ordered the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border during his 2017–2021 administration.
His remarks followed Democratic opponent Joe Biden’s Tuesday easing of visa requirements for about 500,000 US national spouses, which facilitated their application for naturalisation.
The president also made it easier for “Dreamers,” or immigrants who entered the country illegally as minors, to obtain work permits if they have completed their college education and have been offered a “high-skilled job offer.”
Republicans frequently accuse Biden of being lenient on immigration; earlier in June, however, he signed an executive order prohibiting illegal immigrants from requesting asylum when their numbers surpass 2,500 in a single day.
