Trump proposes green cards for US grads as Biden eases DACA visa processing

On the All-In podcast, hosted by Jason Calacanis, Chamath Palihapitiya, David O. Sacks, and David Friedberg, Trump said it was “sad” that the country loses graduates from both great and “lesser schools” because they have to go home after graduating.

“What I wanted to do [in the first term] but we didn’t up doing because we had to solve the Covid problem… [something] I want to do and what I will do is, you graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country – and that includes junior colleges,” Trump told the podcast.

“I know of stories where people graduated from a top college… and they desperately wanted to stay here they had a plan for a company, a concept – they go back to India they go back to China.

“They do the same basic company in those places and they become multi-billionaires who hire thousands and thousands of people, when it could have been done here,” Trump further posited.

The promise received mixed reviews from the international higher education sector, with hope and skepticism weaved into various statements on the comments.

“Surprise on the ‘All In’ podcast this morning… Trump promising a green card for each college graduate… Perhaps a Giant competitor on the Post-Study Work Rights battlefield?” said Edwin van Rest on LinkedIn.

The President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration’s executive director Miriam Feldblum told The PIE News in response to the remarks that it agreed the country should “facilitate employment-based immigration pathways and green card access to non-citizen alumni, including international students”.

“America benefits greatly from the talent and contributions of these student and alumni populations. It is a win all around — benefiting students and campuses, employers and communities, and our national economy and security,” continued Feldblum.

On Biden’s move on June 18 to “facilitate certain employment-based nonimmigrant visas for eligible individuals, including [DACA] recipients and undocumented noncitizens, who have graduated from an accredited U.S. institution of higher education”, Feldblum said the change, which would help to facilitate the D-3 waiver, was a “significant” step.

“The D-3 waiver will help DACA recipients, and importantly, Dreamers without DACA who otherwise would qualify for these kinds of visas, adjust to employment-based visas… while they are temporary… they can provide a pathway to long term lawful status,” Feldblum explained, noting the Alliance had been advocating for such guidance since 2022.

“It is exciting to see it come to fruition,” she added.

But another point Feldblum made, which was also made by the American Council on Education’s VP and chief of staff for government relations, was about details of the plan to ease the process for Dreamers.

“We are waiting to see more details from the US Department of State and DHS regarding how this is going to be implemented,” said Sarah Spreitzer, speaking to The PIE.

“[It’s] a step closer towards integrating these individuals. We look forward to the details of the plan and accelerated implementation,” Esther Benjamin, CEO of World Education Services, also told The PIE.

So far, all that has been detailed after the Biden administration’s announcement is that DHS will implement the policy update, and that consular officers will receive updated guidance within the next 30 days.

In response to Trump’s comments, the Biden re-election campaign’s spokesperson told Reuters about how Trump made it his “mission to rip apart immigrant families while in office” – The PIE has covered multiple instances of curtailment for students and overseas workers that Trump oversaw during his tenure.

“Trump’s empty promise is both a lie and an insult, especially to the countless people that have been permanently damaged by his first term in office,” said Kevin Munoz.

Spreitzer also noted that, in terms of Trump’s promises, the campaign has already walked back on what he said on the All-in podcast; a representative said that those making significant contributions may be able to stay only after “the most aggressive vetting process in US history”.

“I’m not sure this would be a priority in a second Trump Administration,” Spreitzer added.

Ben Waxman, Intead’s CEO, responded only with this when asked by The PIE about the comments made by Trump on the podcast: “He’ll never follow through on this.”

New research by Intead has also compared how international students felt about studying in the US if Donald Trump won in the 2016 election to how they may feel about it if he wins the upcoming 2024 election.

In 2016, over half of those surveyed said they’d be less likely to study in the US if Trump were to win. In the run-up to the 2024 election, only 28% have said the same.

“What’s more, 42% this year say it won’t make a difference who wins. It’s just not as important to today’s cohort,” Waxman said on Intead’s blog.