Visa Program: The Buy-One, Get-One-Free for Elite Influence
Same playbook, different decade: THE ACTORS: Who runs the new immigration market? The Lawsuit Plaintiffs: Immigrants who followed traditional, often lengthy, visa processes are suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Their legal representation comes from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the Immigration Reform Law
Institute (IRLI). The Trump Administration's Role: Specifically, former Senior Advisor Jared Kushner and his family's real estate firm, Kushner Companies, were deeply involved. Kushner Companies actively sought foreign investment via the EB-5 visa program, marketing it directly to wealthy Chinese investors. While not directly tied to the 'Gold Card' in the lawsuit, the administration's broader
approach to immigration policy and its explicit marketing of investment-based visas established the precedent. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and USCIS: These agencies are responsible for implementing and enforcing immigration laws. The lawsuit alleges they illegally fast-tracked 'Gold Card' applications, effectively creating a separate, expedited queue for the wealthy. THE FUNDING:
Where does the money flow? The '$1M Gold Card' Requirement: The program allegedly offered expedited treatment for those investing $1 million into a U.S. business, creating 10 full-time jobs. This is a direct parallel to the EB-5 visa — often referred to as the 'investor visa'— which requires a minimum investment of $800,000 (raised from $500,000 in 2019 to $1.05 million, then reduced back to