Last month photographs that were taken of Melania Trump in New York, before she was supposed to be legally in the United States according to timeline that has been developed by the public record, have raised questions about Melania Trump’s immigration status. To be sure, there is no question, as of now, that Melania Trump is now legally in the country. What there is a question about is whether she had the proper documents to perform at the photoshoot in New York.
The immigration process is haphazard at best with competing rules and regulations making the process arduous at best and impossible at worst. In terms of Melania Trump, the question is whether she was in New York at the time of the photoshoot on a tourist visa and if so, was she in violation of the law while having her picture taken.
This is important because many immigrants find themselves in the same quagmire – somewhere between illegal and legal. Since Donald Trump has taken the position that there is no middle ground and that everyone must follow the law, then it is very important that we understand whether his wife followed the law, as both have stated.
Donald and Melania Trump promised us a press conference where Melania Trump would clarify under what immigration status she was under from the time she entered the country to the time she became a US citizen. The promised press conference has yet to materialize.
Why?
Could it have to do with how difficult it is to follow the immigration rules that are impossible to follow, even when someone is trying to do it the “right way?”
The controversy could simply be addressed by Melania Trump publishing a detailed list of visas she used to enter the United States until she became a US citizen. Copies of her immigration papers would also be helpful.
We are yet to see any of that.
Why is it that the most ardent supporters of expelling 11 million people aren’t demanding Melania Trump produce her papers? Would it have anything to do with the color of her skin or who she is married to?
Of course it does.