Melania Trump Denies She Came To U.S. Illegally–But Won't Provide Specifics

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Melania Trump responded to a Politico report Thursday suggesting she may have immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a model in the '90s in a statement that claimed she has been "at all times in full compliance with the immigration laws of this country." However, Trump did not provide the specifics that would have clarified the questions raised by the Politico piece.

[image][/image]

As a reporter who worked on the Politico piece pointed out, Trump's statement also did not address a period in her career where she was apparently working in the United States as highlighted by Politico.

Ben Schreckinger ✔
@SchreckReports

This statement does not address our reporting, which pertains to modeling work apparently done in US in 1995 https://twitter.com/MELANIATRUMP/status/761212858944421888 …

10:58 AM - 4 Aug 2016
109 109 Retweets 97 97 likes

In the piece published Thursday morning, Politico pointed to interviews Trump gave describing the immigration process she used while working as a model in the U.S. before obtaining a green card. Trump described returning to her home country Slovenia every few months to have her visa stamped. Immigration lawyers pointed out that the process she described resembled that used by foreign nationals on a tourist visa, which does not permit them to work in the U.S. The most common visa granted to immigrants permitted to work in the U.S. is valid for three years and does not require visits back to one's home country every fews months to be re-stamped. There is a less common workers' visa that permits holders stay in the United States for up to three years, but that is typically granted only to workers at the upper echelons of their field and at the time in question, Trump was a low-level catalog model.

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/melania-trump-immigration-response

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[liberal N proud]

1. Show us you papers Malania

What goes around, comes around.

[scscholar]

10. So you don't think spouses of citizens should be allowed to stay?

That's a very hard-line anti-immigration position. Even most of the Republicans think it shouldn't be illegal to have your spouse enter the country.

[leftynyc]

14. What does that have to do with

whether she came into the country legally with a short term visa (forbidden from working) while working as a model?

[scscholar]

17. His "show us your papers" demand is present tense

He didn't say he wanted to ask her that back in the past when she was here illegally. He said now, and she is married now. That is the issue. Splitting families is horrific.

[leftynyc]

18. Nitpicking is no way to have a discussion

I understood perfectly that he was talking about her immigration papers from when she was an immigrant - what papers would matter now and nobody is talking about splitting up families but you.

[karynnj]

37. Trump would split families where one spouse is here illegally

He also would split families where the children are citizens and parents are here illegally.

[4lbs]

16. She wasn't a spouse in 1995. She hadn't even met The Donald back then

The nude GQ pics were taken in New York, in 1995.

What was Melania doing here in 1995?

Nevertheless, she violated any visa she had back then, because she would not have been allowed to do anything that got her paid, like that photoshoot. It would have been illegal.

[liberal N proud]

19. I think that considering Donald Trumps attacks on President Obama and stand on imigration

This is his just desert!

If someone wants other to play by a set of rules, they should also apply to them.

[rocktivity]

32. Sure, if they were in the US legally

Last edited Fri Aug 5, 2016, 10:49 AM - Edit history (2)

to begin with. But aren't there still a couple of hoops you have to jump through even then?


rocktivity

[yeoman6987]

29. Why does she bother answering this stuff

She's as bad as her husband.

[backscatter712]

2. Wow, to see this coming out of the campaign howling to Build A Wall...

This is as rich as it gets!

[woodsprite]

28. Or from one of the biggest 'birthers' around.

Actually Melania can't be held responsible. After all, Donnie probably filed all her visa and immigration paperwork with his tax paperwork for safe keeping.

[ghostsinthemachine]

3. Show us your face, Melania

Where is she?

[stopbush]

4. And W kept us safe after 9/11.

What is with Rs and their transparent omission of dates under question?

[think]

8. Giuliani says there were no domestic attacks during Bush presidency

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2010/jan/08/rudy-giuliani/giuliani-says-there-were-no-domestic-attacks-durin/

[stopbush]

12. Unfortunately, these fuckers know they need only say the lie once

for the rubes to take it as gospel truth. Within a week, the media is covering the lie from the "some people say" perspective, invoking the "Chuck Toad Rule" that it's not their job to fact check Republicans.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

26. It's an extremely important part of their propaganda machine. Their BS cannot

stand up to facts, so they spend massive amounts of time and effort hiding, ignoring, and denying facts.

It works very, very well for them.

[lapucelle]

27. Yup, he just had that one really bad day.

[DorothyG]

5. Are visa records public? For how long are they kept?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

39. How long do you want to wait?

You can obtain her immigration records either 100 years after her birth or immediately after her death.

[vkkv]

6. BUSTED !!!

(+ +)

[matt819]

7. Typical Trumpian response

Answering questions not asked.



If she was here on a tourist or student visa, then, yes, she'd have to leave the US and get the visa renewed.

If she was here on an H1B visa or the equivalent at the time, she could have stayed for a few years and then would have had to have it renewed or leave. She apparently managed to stay, eventually exercising the bad judgment of marrying an insane person.

As I see it, she's an illegal immigrant who changed her status by marrying Trump.

[jberryhill]

11. Depends on your definition of "illegal immigrant"

She was not in the country illegally, but she violated the terms of her visa.

At this point, though, it's pretty much water under the bridge.

We had a guy here who used to peddle theories about Jeb Bush's wife being in the country illegally.

The whole thing strikes me as unseemly. She got married, had kids here, and what's the point of going after an immigrant on technicalities at this point?

Because there are probably a whole lot more people in similar circumstances, and at some point we start sounding like the "deport 'em all" crowd.

Yes, I get the thing about "pointing out hypocrisy", but there is a fine line between that and being an actual hypocrite.

[matt819]

15. Yes, water under the bridge, etc.

I used to issue visas overseas. So, yes, someone who overstays a student or business/tourist visa is an illegal immigrant, and we who issued the visas that were violated had that pointed out to us. Sure, they didn't cross the border in the dark of night or in a shipping container, but illegal is illegal.

Granted, it's all overtaken by events. She got married, had kids, etc. But at the time this happened, from the information available, she was, in the parlance of Donald Trump, here not legally.

Also, I made no reference to hypocrisy, though that's a given with most Republicans.

[jberryhill]

21. Just splitting hairs

To my mind there is a distinction between "not authorized to enter or continue to be present" versus "exceeding the scope of that authorization", but it's probably not a distinction with a difference.

In any event, she is certainly "doing the jobs Americans refuse to do" vis a vis her relationship with Trump.

[Justice]

22. Approximately 30-40% of "illegal immigrant" enter the U.S. legally, but overstay visa

The only point in all of this is Melania may well be like those 30-40%. Not splitting hairs.

No joy in pointing it out, but Trump is the one that staked his campaign on this.

[jberryhill]

9. She didn't sign up for this

Her current circumstances are not what she has chosen for herself, and I'm not to crazy about going after her on any of this stuff.

She's as much along for the crazy ride as Preibus, Ryan and the rest of them.

[TeamPooka]

20. The side effects of gold-digging. nt

[lunamagica]

13. And how did she get that green card? Was it because there were not enough models

in the US?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

23. the "adult industry" bringing in "talent" on tourist visas is pretty much par for the course

But I doubt that is the issue here. If she had B-1 status and was being paid by a European agency she is probably in the clear.

[rocktivity]

24. What about your immigration status in 1995

when you did the nude photo shoot in New York City? Let's find out who paid her to do the shoot.

Just what they need, huh -- to swing the focus of the story back upon the photo shoot?


rocktivity

[BiminiTwisted]

25. Google search shows this story has leggs.

[lapucelle]

30. Has anyone even seen Melania since her speech?

The nude pictures that appeared in the raggy NY Post seemed like a further attempt by someone to marginalize Melania. And what I found surprising is that the MSM never mentioned the Post pictures.

[LongtimeAZDem]

31. "I swear I was in America lawfully when I did soft-core lesbian porn"

"Train-wreck" just doesn't cover this.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

33. Did Melania claim a degree on immigration forms?

Where are your tax returns, Donald?

[elehhhhna]

34. so she took a job no american wanted, lol

[JudyM]

41. Ha! Nt

[Paladin]

35. I say she's an illegal immigrant, and no facts will ever persuade me otherwise.

(I'm probably being facetious on this, but it's awfully tempting to dish out the same sort of crap the Birthers have been inflicting on us for years and years.)

[underthematrix]

36. here's the real issue as SLATE concludes in their article on Melania's immigration to US

This story, though, isn’t really about Melania. If she did violate the law, knowingly or not, to get her start in the country, she’s no different than the millions of other hard-working and well-meaning immigrants who have done the same thing. That her husband has built his campaign on railing against these immigrants—by spewing hate and spreading lies about foreigners flooding across our borders to do us physical and economic harm—that’s the story. It’s not that Melania did anything so wrong. It’s that her husband has spent the past year assailing people whose actions are probably a lot like his wife’s.

Link to entire article here: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2016/08/04/melania_trump_s_immigration_story_doesn_t_add_up.html

After reading Melania's wiki page about 3 months ago, I wondered if she was also in the country illegally and working illegally. Given TRUMP's policy positions on immigrants and immigration, I think this story needs to be pursued until we have an actual timeline of Melania's immigration from visa to green card to citizenship.

[tammywammy]

40. Yes, it's about Donald Trump's positions. I agree with your post. n/t

[secondwind]

38. those are not her words...