Parents of the first lady received US citizenship through a visa, against which trump spoke

Parents of the first lady received US citizenship through a family reunification visa - a category of visas that the Trump administration sought to end.

Photo: facebook.com/WhiteHouse

Victor and Amalia Knavs, parents of First Lady Melania Trump, received citizenship on Thursday, according to information from their immigration lawyer Michael Wilds.

"Everything went well and they are very grateful for this wonderful day for their family," he told CNN.

The first lady declined to comment.

Victor and Amalia Knavs, originally from Slovenia, lived in the United States with a green card. They were often seen in Washington after Trump's inauguration.

Photo: CNN Video Screenshot

A source who is directly acquainted with Melania Trump's parents and their immigration status told CNN that Melania sponsored her parents by organizing green cards based on family reunion. This allowed them to live and work in the United States, as well as prepare the ground for citizenship.

This type of family visa is one of the categories of visas that Trump and his allies tried to cancel, claiming that they are dangerous for the United States.

Wildes did not comment on how Knavs obtained his green cards or citizenship, but he criticized the trump administration's immigration policies on CNN.

“I believe strongly in the principle of family reunification, which is the basis of immigration policy and the rights of millions of people,” Wilds said.

There are several ways in which US immigrants can get green cards, among which - family reunification. This option accounts for the most issued green cards. In second place - on the basis of employment, then refugees and in other special cases.

Proponents of restricting legal immigration pointed to an imbalance in favor of family ties as evidence of the need for reform, calling for the creation of a merit-based system that will select immigrants based on US needs.

The United States allows many Americans and legal residents to sponsor family members to reside permanently in the United States, including categories for parents, adult siblings, and adult children who are married and unmarried.

Trump and his congressional allies fought to drastically reduce this by limiting the sponsorship of spouses and minor children, including lowering the threshold for minor children from 21 to 18 years. According to experts, this can reduce overall immigration to the US by 40-50%, if these green cards are not redistributed to another category. Trump advocates a merit-based system, but has not proposed any method of accepting immigrants in the United States to replace these categories.

Victor and Amalia Knavs, 73 and 71 year, respectively. They are already retired and regularly maintain contact with the Trump family, often traveling with them to Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster, New Jersey.

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