Politico: Melania may have committed visa fraud, illegally immigrated to US

[Simfan34]

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http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/melania-trump-immigration-donald-226648

When I first saw the headline, I wrote it off as yet another instance of "post-truth" journalism (usually employed by Trump's supporters rather than his detractors); as Dave Weigel wrote "'Too good to check' used to be a warning to newspaper editors not to jump on bullsh**t stories. Now it’s a business model."

But Julia Ioffe's (a quality journalist) article in Politico (a quality publication) does not so much make claims, to say nothing of unsubstantiated claims, as it notes discrepancies in Melania's account of her migration to the US and the implications of her claims (i.e., having to return to Slovenia every few months to have her visa renewed), some of which do not appear to conform with standard practices under relevant laws.

I urge potential skeptics (and everyone in general) to read the article, which considers at length the available facts, based on Melania's own comments to the media and public information, rather than anonymous "sources". It goes into far more detail than I could post without violating the forum's copyright rules.

I think all of us, whether pro-Trump or anti-Trump, can agree that we need to figure out what's going on, and that the laws should be enforced, as Trump would insist, to the strictest possible degree. Zero-tolerance, after all, starts in the home.

[Redban]

She's really been hurting his campaign, which was already experiencing turbulence before her exploits (i.e plagiarism, nude pictures, lesbianism).

I can't recall the last time a candidate's wife gave the candidate so much trouble. Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Ann Romney, Cindy McCain --- none of them aroused so much negative attention. In fact, most of them helped the candidate, especially Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain.

[Lyin' Steve]

She's really been hurting his campaign, which was already experiencing turbulence before her exploits (i.e plagiarism, nude pictures, lesbianism).

I can't recall the last time a candidate's wife gave the candidate so much trouble. Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Ann Romney, Cindy McCain --- none of them aroused so much negative attention. In fact, most of them helped the candidate, especially Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain.

And Ann.  According to multiple accounts, Mitt was a different man when Ann was around, much more upbeat and energetic.

[ag]

She's really been hurting his campaign, which was already experiencing turbulence before her exploits (i.e plagiarism, nude pictures, lesbianism).

I can't recall the last time a candidate's wife gave the candidate so much trouble. Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Ann Romney, Cindy McCain --- none of them aroused so much negative attention. In fact, most of them helped the candidate, especially Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain.

Poor girl did not know she would be a wife of a presidential candidate. Trump should have checked his wife immigration history before taking certain positions. In fact, his ignorance about immigration law is staggering for someone who has been hiring foreigners for a long time. I mean, all of us, foreigners legally in the US on all sorts of visas during the 1990s, would have smelled flesh if we bothered to check Melania's story.

The only way she was legal in 1995/6, if whatever agency she was modelling for was based out of the US and her pay cheque came from a non-US source. Pretty much anything else, combined with her story, suggests she broke the US immigration law.

[heatcharger]

She put out a statement on Twitter:

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Where's her long-form immigration papers? Hillary needs to send her investigative team to Slovenia.

[ag]

She put out a statement on Twitter:

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Where's her long-form immigration papers? Hillary needs to send her investigative team to Slovenia.

State department will be easily able to produce her visa history. By itself, there will not be much interesting there. The legal violation (of which, given her brains, she was probably innocently unaware), would be working for a US employer. So, whichever modelling agency paid her should be investigated.

[Lincoln Republican]

These stories about Melania are probably nothing more than sensationalist journalism.

[PeteB]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/08/melania-trump-immigration-donald-226648

When I first saw the headline, I wrote it off as yet another instance of "post-truth" journalism (usually employed by Trump's supporters rather than his detractors); as Dave Weigel wrote "'Too good to check' used to be a warning to newspaper editors not to jump on bullsh**t stories. Now it’s a business model."

But Julia Ioffe's (a quality journalist) article in Politico (a quality publication) does not so much make claims, to say nothing of unsubstantiated claims, as it notes discrepancies in Melania's account of her migration to the US and the implications of her claims (i.e., having to return to Slovenia every few months to have her visa renewed), some of which do not appear to conform with standard practices under relevant laws.

I urge potential skeptics (and everyone in general) to read the article, which considers at length the available facts, based on Melania's own comments to the media and public information, rather than anonymous "sources". It goes into far more detail than I could post without violating the forum's copyright rules.

I think all of us, whether pro-Trump or anti-Trump, can agree that we need to figure out what's going on, and that the laws should be enforced, as Trump would insist, to the strictest possible degree. Zero-tolerance, after all, starts in the home.

I read the story and have to say it is marginal at best.

The 95/96 timeline does not seem particularly relevant nor does the fact that she may have done a few photoshoots, before getting a Visa (all she has to say is that she was not working but auditioning, before getting a work visa). 

However, the main potentially damaging issue in that article is the "frequent trips to renew her visa", which would indicate that she did not have the right visa, with a work permit, while obviously working as a model.  I am no visa expert, so there could be a rational explanation (maybe she worked for a non-US employer and used B-1 visa to get into the US, as the venue for modelling?), but that is the one part of the story that may have legs.

[Xing]

If it's true, the irony is remarkable. I know that she didn't know she'd be the wife of a presidential candidate, but this definitely makes Trump look like that much more of an ass when he talks so negatively about undocumented immigrants.

[Simfan34]

These stories about Melania are probably nothing more than sensationalist journalism.

That was also my initial reaction, Winfield. But I encourage you to read and consider what the article is saying-- it's hardly sensationalism.

[ag]

These stories about Melania are probably nothing more than sensationalist journalism.

Actually, given what has been produced so far, they are extremely plausible. Which visa she came into the US on? If it was a normal work H1-B or similar, all is clear. The visa, though non-immigrant, is double-intent - you do not have to be proving you are not planning to immigrate, everything is clean. Same with a few exotic visas for talented people. But none of those visas require regular travel back home. The visa that would require leaving the US every 6 months is B-1/B-2 (business/tourism). But that visa a) requires non-immigrant intent (she must have told the consul she is not planning to immigrate) and b) in almost all cases prohibits employment of any sort in the US. From her own testimony we know that she worked in the US as a model and that she regularly travelled out to maintain legality of her status. The very fact of such trips, combined with actual employment in the US, would constitute immigration fraud, even if she was not aware of it.

[ag]

I can easily see what happened. The poor stupid girl came to the US to work for a modelling agency. It was, probably, a small agency, not willing to go through the hoops of obtaining an H1-B authorisation. So, they just told her to get a US visa: any sort of a visa. She got a B1/B2 - what everybody gets to travel to the US for most reasons.  On entry to the US she was stamped 6 months entry and took it to mean that all she has to do is travel outside before those 6 months are over and then get another 6-month stamp. She did not pay attention to the prohibition on work, nor did she realise that by presenting herself at the border the second time she was implicitly testifying that she is not living or working in the US, obtaining her income from abroad. A pretty expensively dressed girl caused no problems at the border - the border officer smiled and, probably, thought she just has a rich boyfriend. The fraud was successful, but it was fraud.

[Redban]

She put out a statement on Twitter:

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Where's her long-form immigration papers? Hillary needs to send her investigative team to Slovenia.

Her statement doesn't address the main suspicion --- why did she, in her words, have to travel back to Europe to renew her papers? The only explanation for such visits is that she was on a tourist visa, and a tourist visa does not permit employment (such as her modelling on U.S. soil in 1995).

Did she make a mistake when she said that she had to return to Europe to renew her papers? Did she not know that she couldn't do a modelling shoot in America with a tourist Visa? Was the modelling agency headquartered outside of the United States? Did she perform the modeling shoot as an audition, not as an employee?

[Lyin' Steve]

This story will never catch on.  It can't be encapsulated in an easily-understandable form and the details of different immigration visas or was it 1995 or 1996 or was it auditioning or working are too nitpicky and confusing for voters to care about.

[Ebsy]

This story will never catch on.  It can't be encapsulated in an easily-understandable form and the details of different immigration visas or was it 1995 or 1996 or was it auditioning or working are too nitpicky and confusing for voters to care about.

Yes it can: Melania is an illegal immigrant.

[Redban]

This story will never catch on.  It can't be encapsulated in an easily-understandable form and the details of different immigration visas or was it 1995 or 1996 or was it auditioning or working are too nitpicky and confusing for voters to care about.

In other words --- voters are dumb?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Remember when he said Jeb was concerned about immigration because his wife was *something something*?

[Virginiá]

Time to go full birther on Melania. Show us your papers!

[Antonio the Sixth]

Hahahahaha.

[Yank2133]

This story will never catch on.  It can't be encapsulated in an easily-understandable form and the details of different immigration visas or was it 1995 or 1996 or was it auditioning or working are too nitpicky and confusing for voters to care about.

Yes it can: Melania is an illegal immigrant.

She is also white, so Trump supporters aren't going to care.

[elcorazon]

These stories about Melania are probably nothing more than sensationalist journalism.

hilarious given the amount of credence Trump gives to stories with less merit (birther, muslim celebrations in NJ, Cruz' dad killed Kennedy, "rigged" elections...)

[Ebsy]

Yeah, sort of incredible for any Republican to complain about sensationalist stories when, if you actually read the piece, it is far from sensationalist.

[Seriously?]

Melania Trump: Donald Trump's Wife Responds to Questions About Immigration Status Upon Entering US

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Nice try DNC media. Now go on your predictable "gotcha" witch hunt.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

Melania Trump: Donald Trump's Wife Responds to Questions About Immigration Status Upon Entering US

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Nice try DNC media. Now go on your predictable "gotcha" witch hunt.

Do you have a source or are we supposed to just trust you because of your sterling reputation for truthiness on this forum?

[Seriously?]

Melania Trump: Donald Trump's Wife Responds to Questions About Immigration Status Upon Entering US

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Nice try DNC media. Now go on your predictable "gotcha" witch hunt.

Do you have a source or are we supposed to just trust you because of your sterling reputation for truthiness on this forum?

Of course. Melania Trump herself.

https://twitter.com/MELANIATRUMP/status/761212858944421888/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw