Talk about the pot calling the kettle orange. Under the new immigration rules brought forth last month by Donald Trump, his wife Melania would have been a prime candidate for deportation in the late '90s.
In documents obtained by The Associated Press, Melania allegedly received $20,056 for 10 modeling jobs in 1996, seven weeks before acquiring legal permission to work in the United States. At the time, Mrs. Trump—who was then known as Melania Knauss—was working in the United States on a visitor, or tourist, visa, which would have been in violation of the executive order issued by The Donald in late January. As the EO points out, the government can revoke the U.S. citizenship and remove anyone who has “engaged in fraud or willful misrepresentation in connection with any official matter or application before a government agency."
During a rally before the presidential election in November, Melania delivered a speech where she discussed her journey to the United States in pursuit of the American Dream. "As a young entrepreneur, I wanted to follow my dream to a place where freedom and opportunity were in abundance. So of course, I came here," she said. "Living and working in America was a true blessing, but I wanted something more. I wanted to be an American." Melania didn't become a naturalized U.S. citizen until 2006, and could have faced deportation any time before that for concealing pertinent information regarding her naturalization.
Trump has advised the Department of Homeland Security to seek out and deport individuals who are in violation of the law. So, in his own words, Melania would "have to go."
