Melania Trump came to the US as a young, aspiring model. Just like everyone else, she had to apply for a visa, which she received in 2001, and was able to work in the US legally. The former Knauss has had a successful modeling career, and today, she is serving her second term as First Lady of the United States.
As the Trump administration focuses on reshaping immigration laws, Melaniaโs visa has been a topic of discussion. Now, one congresswoman questions whether Melania was even eligible to come to the US.
Donald Trump made it clear already during his presidential campaign that he would take a hard line on immigration and illegal immigrants in the US if he were elected. During his first week back in the Oval Office, he signed several immigration-related executive orders to crack down on undocumented migrants currently staying in the US.
In June, he called for federal agencies to enforce the โlargestย mass deportation programme in history,โ which caused massive protests around the country. Moreover, Donald Trump has also taken a hard line on visas issued to people seeking to enter the US, including those for students.
On June 4, he signed an executive order targeting Harvardโs student visa program. Weeks later, the president introduced a visa and travel ban affecting 19 countries. Opinions about Trumpโs stand on immigration differ widely, with some human rights groups saying he is even violating US law. And as the immigration and visa question has become the top story, the topic of his wife seems to take center stage in the discussion.
In 2000, Melania, then a promising model, applied for a work visa in the US. In the years before, she had been scouted by Paolo Zampolli, co-owner of Metropolitan Models, who helped her apply. He was also the one who introduced Melania to Trump. She had been in the US since 1996, initially holding a tourist visa and later obtaining a series of work visas, her attorney said, according to Newsweek.
Congresswoman questioned how Melania Trump received her US visa
In 2001, Melania Trump obtained the EB-1 Visa, also known as the โEinstein visa.โ Per the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website, an individual may be eligible for the visa if โyou are an alien of extraordinary ability, are an outstanding professor or researcher, or are a certain multinational executive or manager.โ
The government cites Pulitzer Prize, Oscar, and Olympic winners, as well as other highly acclaimed individuals, as examples of those who have obtained the visa. Several requirements must be met for a person to be eligible for the โEinstein Visa,โ and this is where Melania Trump comes into the picture.
A congresswoman questions how she could have even obtained it. When Melania obtained her visa in 2001, she was one of just five people from Slovenia to receive it that year, according to Theย Washington Post. But was it fair?
Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat, took aim at the first lady during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday. The congresswoman, who, in the hearing, challenged how Republican lawmakers use what she described as selective outrage when it comes to visa policy
โIntegrity isnโt snatching lawful visa holders off the streets and throwing them into unmarked vans,โ she said. โIntegrity is not revoking visas based on social media posts that hurt somebodyโs little feelings, because kids decided they wanted to go after Trump or this administration. We have a thing called free speech in this country.โ
โIt doesnโt take an Einstein to see that the math ainโt mathinโ hereโ
While Crockett acknowledged Melania Trumpโs modeling career, Crockett questioned how she could have even gotten the visa in the first place. She asked why Republicans werenโt scrutinizing the immigration of those close to the president.
โWhy arenโt we talking about integrity when it comes to the presidentโs familyโs visas?โ Jasmine Crockett asked. โLet me tell you how you receive an Einstein visa. Youโre supposed to have some sort of significant achievement, like being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize or a Pulitzer, being an Olympic medalist, or having other sustained extraordinary abilities and success in sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics. Last time I checked, the first lady had none of those accolades under her belt.โ
โMelania, the first lady, a modelโand when I say model, Iโm not talking about Tyra Banks, Cindy Crawford, orย Naomi Campbell-levelโapplied for and was given an EB1 visa,โ she continued. It doesnโt take an Einstein to see that the math ainโt mathinโ here.โ
Melania Trump has not commented on Jasmine Crockettโs words about her Visa. Still, on social media, many slammed the congresswoman for going after the first lady, claiming that she was simply jealous.
One user wrote on X, โRep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) disgracefully attackedย Melania Trumpย on Wednesday for her modeling career and visa. Crockett said Melania wasnโt on the same level as other models and didnโt have the accolades to warrant an Einstein visa. Crockett is jealous,โ.
Melania Trump โshould be deported,โ congresswoman claimed
This is not the first time Melaniaโs presence in the US has been questioned. In March, at an anti-DOGE protest in Los Angeles, California, Democrat Congresswomanย Maxine Waters suggested that Donald Trump potentially should deport his wife.
โWhen he [Trump] talks about birthright, and heโs going to undo the fact that the Constitution allows those who are born here, even if the parents are undocumented, they have a right to stay in America. If he wants to start looking so closely to find those who were born here and their parents were undocumented, maybe he ought to first look at Melania,โ Watersย said.
โWe donโt know whether or not her parents were documented. And maybe we better just take a look.โ
What do you think of Jasmine Crockettโs take on Melania Trumpโs โEinstein Visa?โ Please give us your opinion in the comment section!
