US Bans 'Golden Passports' While Selling Its Own Gold-Plated Residency
The story focuses on how two small Caribbean nations were 'blindsided' by US travel restrictions over their 'golden passport' schemes. The unstated irony, as the article *briefly* notes, is the US isn't just considering—but actively pursuing—its own 'pay-for-residency' initiative for wealthy foreign investors. So, to recap: it’s a national security threat when others do it, but a lucrative
investment opportunity when Uncle Sam sells the keys to the castle. One might wonder if the concern is truly 'security' or simply controlling the market for citizenship-by-investment, much like powerful states often dictate economic policies to smaller ones. The U.S. EB-5 visa program, for instance, allows foreign nationals to obtain green cards by investing substantial capital ($800,000 to
$1,050,000) in American businesses that create jobs. But when tiny Dominica offers a path for $100,000, suddenly it's a 'Caribbean woe.' How many 'national security threats' does it take for America to profit?