Melania snubs husband to make parents citizens
DONALD TRUMP’S in-laws received US citizenship under a programme repeatedly criticised by the president, their lawyer revealed.
Mr Trump’s wife, Melania, sponsored Viktor and Amalija Knavs, her Slovenian-born parents, under a system referred to as “chain migration”. The pair became US citizens at a naturalisation ceremony in New York, Michael Wildes, their immigration lawyer, confirmed.
Under the programme, US citizens can sponsor their parents and siblings to obtain permanent residency.
Mr Trump has called it a “broken system” and wants to limit the rules to just spouses and young children. He said such a system steals jobs from Americans and threatens national security, calling for a merit-based alternative favouring more educated, English-speaking professionals.
Mr Wildes told the New York Times that Mrs Trump had acted as their sponsor. Under US law, they must have been permanent residents for five years before applying for citizenship.