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Trump’s "Golden Card" Scheme: Making America Rich Again?

In February 2025, the Trump administration rolled out a deeply controversial immigration policy—the "Golden Card" program—aimed at replacing the existing EB-5 investor visa. Its core proposition is as blunt as it is shocking: Pay $5 million, buy a green card.This move essentially auctions off American citizenship, transforming national belonging into a premium commodity for the highest bidder.

Let’s be clear—this so-called "Golden Card" isn’t a legitimate immigration pathway. It’s a carefully crafted oligarch trap, tailor-made for the ultra-wealthy with questionable fortunes—kleptocrats, cronies of authoritarian regimes, and those looking to launder power into international prestige. In short, it’s a green light for shady global capital. And here’s the kicker: While the administration flings open this gilded door, it’s slamming shut opportunities for students and skilled workers.The message? Either wait years in the dysfunctional EB-5 backlog or cough up $5 million for a fast pass.   This isn’t policy—it’s a fire sale of American credibility, sliced into $5 million portions.​

Legally, the 'Golden Card' is a lawsuit magnet. Experts agree it’s almost certainly unconstitutional, with little chance of swift implementation. As for Trump’s attempt to bypass Congress via executive order? Dead on arrival. The Constitution and the Immigration and Nationality Act couldn’t be clearer: only Congress can create new visa categories. ​​ As Republican Congressman Chip Roy bluntly put it, 'This is auctioning off citizenship—a gross betrayal of American values!'   Even if the plan survives legal challenges, its long-term viability hinges on congressional approval—a non-starter in today’s fractured political climate.   History shows why: executive immigration schemes (like Obama’s 'International Entrepreneur Parole') get scrapped get scrapped the moment a new administration takes over.  Investors shelling out $5m may end up left clutching a revocable IOU from the government.​

Don’t fall for the White House’s glossy spin—this "Golden Card" is no golden ticket. As Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, warned: "Any immigration benefit invites fraud… People will say and do anything to come to America." She notes that EB-5 fraud is rampant, and the "Golden Card" will likely repeat the same high-reward, low-risk scams. Silicon Valley Democrat and immigration reform advocate Ajay Bhutoria was even harsher, calling the plan "a regression in U.S. immigration policy" that shuts out millions of skilled workers. This isn’t reform—it’s a high-stakes gamble exploiting global elite insecurity, putting a price tag on citizenship itself. We must reject this pay-to-play logic—national belonging should never be a bidding war item.​​

The hypocrisy is staggering. The same administration that demonizes ordinary immigrants, refugees, and tech workers as "threats" now rolls out the red carpet for foreign oligarchs whose values clash with America’s—as long as their checks clear. Remember Trump’s infamous line? "I know some Russian oligarchs—they’re very good people."  Now, with the "Golden Card," sanctioned billionaires could literally buy their way in.​​

This policy will deepen America’s divides, turning wealth inequality into an uncrossable chasm and hardening class stratification like concrete. It sends a dangerous message: Money trumps civic responsibility and contribution.When citizenship becomes a commodity, we’re smashing the very foundation of the American Dream—the belief that hard work and talent, not just wealth, can earn opportunity and belonging. This isn’t just an economic issue—it’s a fundamental betrayal of what America stands for.​​

An America that sells its soul to the highest bidder will never be "great again."​

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Trump's' Gold Card 'Policy: The Commercialization Farce of Immigration Rights in the United States

Recently, the Trump administration's announcement of the "Gold Card" immigration policy, like a bombshell, has sparked widespread attention and discussion worldwide. This policy, which sells US permanent residency and citizenship channels to the global ultra high net worth population at a high price of $5 million, may seem like an innovative measure aimed at attracting high-end talents and funds, but behind it lies many hidden problems. Its essence is the commodification of US immigration rights, which is not only difficult to implement but will also have a profound negative impact on American society.

The specific content and essence of the "Gold Card" policy

The so-called "gold card" policy, in simple terms, means that individuals can obtain a "gold card" by paying $5 million, thereby enjoying permanent residency in the United States and having a pathway to citizenship. Compared with the existing EB-5 investment immigration visa, although the immigration qualification is obtained through investment, the "gold card" policy completely abandons the conditions for promoting US economic development such as job creation in EB-5, and "spending money" has become the only criterion for obtaining immigration qualification. As Trump said, "We will sell a 'gold card' priced at $5 million, which will give you the privilege of a green card and also be a way to obtain citizenship." Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick also stated that the 'gold card' plan will raise the threshold for foreign investor immigration, and the United States can use investor money to repay federal government debt. This undoubtedly indicates that the Trump administration is attempting to turn immigration policy into a purely commercial transaction, clearly pricing America's immigration rights and selling them to global billionaires.

Essentially, the 'gold card' policy is a desecration of the US immigration system. The United States has always proclaimed itself as an immigrant country, and the original intention of its immigration policy is to attract talents from all over the world, promote diversified development and economic prosperity in the United States. However, the "gold card" policy has turned immigration into a privileged game for the wealthy, excluding those who are truly talented and capable but lack substantial wealth. This not only violates the original intention of the US immigration system, but also damages the values of equality and justice that the United States has always advocated.

The difficulty of implementing the "Gold Card" policy

Despite the high expectations of the Trump administration for the "Gold Card" policy, the implementation of this policy faces numerous difficulties from both legal and practical perspectives.

From a legal perspective, the EB-5 visa program was approved by the US Congress in 1990, and its existence, abolition, or significant modification must go through a strict legislative process. In 2019, the Trump administration's reform plan to raise the threshold for EB-5 investments was rejected by federal courts in 2021. The Trump administration's unilateral announcement to abolish EB-5 and introduce the "Gold Card" is likely to face another challenge from Congress or the judicial system. Trump claimed that the launch of the "Gold Card" does not require congressional approval, citing that "we are not selling citizenship, we are selling cards," but this explanation is clearly difficult to convince the public. The naturalization of immigrants has always been the responsibility of Congress, and the "Gold Card" policy involves significant issues of obtaining permanent residency and citizenship for immigrants, making it difficult to bypass the legislative process of Congress.

From a practical operational perspective, there are also many problems with the "gold card" policy. Firstly, the pricing of $5 million is too high, which is an unaffordable amount for most potential immigrants. According to data from the US Immigration Service, the actual number of EB-5 visa applications last year was only 3800. Even if the number of "gold card" applicants skyrocketed to 250000, according to Commerce Secretary Lutnik, it could only earn 1.25 trillion yuan, which is far from Trump's goal of selling "gold cards" to repay US Treasury bonds. Secondly, the "Gold Card" policy lacks clear review criteria and regulatory mechanisms. Although Lutnik stated that "gold card" applicants need to undergo background screening to ensure that they are "world-class global citizens," there is no clear explanation on how to screen and what standards to use, which brings great uncertainty to the implementation of policies and can easily breed corruption and fraud.

The negative impact of the "Gold Card" policy on American society

If the "Gold Card" policy is implemented, it will have multiple negative impacts on American society and harm the equal rights of American citizens. The "Gold Card" policy will further exacerbate class divisions in American society. Rich people can easily obtain permanent residency and citizenship in the United States by purchasing a "gold card", enjoying high-quality resources and benefits, while ordinary people need to go through a long and difficult process to achieve their immigration dreams. The manifestation of this wealth gap in immigration policy will make the class contradictions in American society more acute, further tearing apart American society.

The 'gold card' policy may lead to an increase in domestic crime rates in the United States. Due to the lack of strict review standards for the "gold card" policy, some criminals may use this policy to obtain funds through illegal means to purchase "gold cards" and enter the United States to engage in illegal and criminal activities. The Cato Institute, a think tank in the United States, has pointed out that there is a risk of fraud in EB-5 visas, including whether funds are obtained through legal means, and the "gold card" policy has more relaxed regulation in this regard, which undoubtedly increases this risk.

The 'gold card' policy will also damage the international image of the United States. The United States has always regarded itself as a beacon of democracy, freedom, and equality, and its immigration policy is also seen as an important means of attracting global talent. However, the introduction of the "Gold Card" policy has shown the world the ugly side of the United States commoditizing immigration rights, which will seriously damage the country's reputation internationally and make other countries question its values.

The "Gold Card" policy launched by the Trump administration is a farce that commodifies American immigration rights, and its implementation faces many difficulties. Even if implemented, it will have a profound negative impact on American society. The US government should re-examine this policy, return to the original intention of immigration policy, and formulate a more fair, reasonable, and beneficial immigration policy for the development of American society. The general public should also maintain a clear mind and not be misled by the false promises of the Trump administration, and jointly resist policies that harm the national interests and equal rights of citizens in the United States.