Of course, Melania Trump was an undocumented worker and illegal immigrant

[Ulaven_Demorte]

By her own words, while being interviewed she explained to Harper's Bazaar. LINK
"I came here for my career, and I did so well, I moved here. It never crossed my mind to stay here without papers. That is just the person you are. You follow the rules. You follow the law. Every few months you need to fly back to Europe and stamp your visa. After a few visas, I applied for a green card and got it in 2001. After the green card, I applied for citizenship. And it was a long process."

Then in a subsequent late February TV interview with Mika Brzezinski in which she explained that she was nothing like those awful 'illegals' her husband wants to expel en masse. LINK (quote at 3:40ish)

"I followed the law. I never thought to stay here without papers. I had a visa, I traveled every few months back to the country to Slovenia to stamp the visa. I came back, I applied for the green card, I applied for the citizenship later on after many years of green card. So I went by system, I went by the law. And you should do that, you should not just say let me stay here and whatever happens, happens."

Here's the problem, the set of circumstances Melania describes makes it almost certain that she was in the US on travel/visitor visas rather than a work visa. If you're on a work visa you don't have to keep traveling back and forth to get your visa renewed. Melania was almost certainly working in the US illegally while holding only a travel/visitor visa. Every time she returned to the U.S. and passed through immigration she would have had to have committed fraud by saying she in the US to visit rather than work. In theory this would make her subsequent Green Card and even citizenship suspect, based on visa fraud earlier in the process.

So if you're inclined to snark, Trump's third wife was an 'illegal immigrant'. Even her status in the country today could, in theory, be suspect. Perhaps "The Donald" should look into having his wife deported to Slovenia. Her citizenship could be revoked due to fraud.

Props to Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo.

 

[Adre]

Will Donald demand she produce her papers, preferably long version, to prove she was legal?

 

[hashtag45]

Geeze Ulaven, don't even get me started. There are so many things wrong with what you posted.
As a LEGAL immigrant, I'm more familiar with the process (here and in the States too, cause friends) than you guys are. You are so jumping to conclusions and this thread is ridiculous.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

Geeze Ulaven, don't even get me started. There are so many things wrong with what you posted.
As a LEGAL immigrant, I'm more familiar with the process (here and in the States too, cause friends) than you guys are. You are so jumping to conclusions and this thread is ridiculous.

By her own admission she was in the country, working on her modeling career (If By “modeling career” you mean posing for trashy nudes that included girl-on-girl porn) from 1995 until she got a green card in 2001, with a visa that she had to fly back to Slovenia every few months to get stamped.

This is what someone would have to do with a travel visa (which does not entitle someone to work in the US). A work visa does not require an immigrant to go back home to get it stamped every few months, neither would someone eligible for the Visa Waiver Program have to make repeated trips back "home". Therefore, by her own admission she was working illegally in the United Sates and committed immigration fraud every time she came back with her newly stamped travel visa from Slovenia.

Trump’s description of her periodic renewals in Europe are more consistent with someone traveling on a B-1 Temporary Business Visitor or B-2 Tourist Visa, which typically last only up to six months and do not permit employment. If someone were to enter the United States on one of those visas with the intention of working, it could constitute visa fraud, according to Andrew Greenfield, a partner at the Washington office of Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, a firm that specializes in immigration law.

What's ridiculous is you pretending that you know anything about the subject, not to mention directly contradicting someone who practices immigration law for a living.. Cause friends..

 

[dan_c00000]

Will Donald demand she produce her papers, preferably long version, to prove she was legal?

I'm pretty sure the Donald has the shipping receipt somewhere.

 

[FknNemesis]

She did first have a working visa. Working visas can be temporary though and since she was on a model contract it is highly unlikely her working visa was a long one.

The internet (or fashion mags) doesn't provide much information about her subsequent visas and work contracts. Her first longer entry to NYC seems backed by a professional contract and working visa though. It is very possible that she initially worked with short term contracts until she rose to fame.



Considering we are online, let us make sure that we will not let a good story stand in the way of facts.

 

[BettyPoop]

She did first have a working visa. Working visas can be temporary though and since she was on a model contract it is highly unlikely her working visa was a long one.

The internet (or fashion mags) doesn't provide much information about her subsequent visas and work contracts. Her first longer entry to NYC seems backed by a professional contract and working visa though. It is very possible that she initially worked with short term contracts until she rose to fame.



Considering we are online, let us make sure that we will not let a good story stand in the way of facts.

And your version of a working visa means she had to keep going back to Slovenia to renew?

 

[FknNemesis]

And your version of a working visa means she had to keep going back to Slovenia to renew?

I'm just saying it is entirely possible that her initial professional contracts, and thus working visas, were of shorter term. As far as I know nothing prevents her from in between also applying to spend time as a tourist. If she were to constantly leave the country to return days later only again as a tourist , surely there's a maximum number of days per year she would have exceeded and which would have led to her application being refused.

I mean if that limitation exists for Belgians surely in the 90s it would have existed for Slovenians.

Both are possible. Law and praxis aren't always a simpleton clear cut thingamingy.

Don't try to beat Trump be descending to his strategies, he will beat you because of experience. You're going to stand a better chance if you try the 'married into citizenship' card.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

I'm just saying it is entirely possible that her initial professional contracts, and thus working visas, were of shorter term. As far as I know nothing prevents her from in between also applying to spend time as a tourist. If she were to constantly leave the country to return days later only again as a tourist , surely there's a maximum number of days per year she would have exceeded and which would have led to her application being refused.

I mean if that limitation exists for Belgians surely in the 90s it would have existed for Slovenians.

Both are possible. Law and praxis aren't always a simpleton clear cut thingamingy.

Don't try to beat Trump be descending to his strategies, he will beat you because of experience. You're going to stand a better chance if you try the 'married into citizenship' card.

Even temporary work visas do not require a foreigner to return to their country of origin in order to have it "stamped" so that they can remain in the US every few months as she stated. There is no hard and fast rule limiting the number of times a person can come to the US on a visitor's visa in any given year.

 

[hashtag45]

By her own admission she was in the country, working on her modeling career (If By “modeling career” you mean posing for trashy nudes that included girl-on-girl porn) from 1995 until she got a green card in 2001, with a visa that she had to fly back to Slovenia every few months to get stamped.

This is what someone would have to do with a travel visa (which does not entitle someone to work in the US). A work visa does not require an immigrant to go back home to get it stamped every few months, neither would someone eligible for the Visa Waiver Program have to make repeated trips back "home". Therefore, by her own admission she was working illegally in the United Sates and committed immigration fraud every time she came back with her newly stamped travel visa from Slovenia.

Trump’s description of her periodic renewals in Europe are more consistent with someone traveling on a B-1 Temporary Business Visitor or B-2 Tourist Visa, which typically last only up to six months and do not permit employment. If someone were to enter the United States on one of those visas with the intention of working, it could constitute visa fraud, according to Andrew Greenfield, a partner at the Washington office of Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, a firm that specializes in immigration law.

What's ridiculous is you pretending that you know anything about the subject, not to mention directly contradicting someone who practices immigration law for a living.. Cause friends..

My point was:
You have to give more credit to the Immigration Department. Believe me - they're very observant and paranoid when it comes to such things. They wouldn't issue serial visitors visas in such a loose manner. They're Hawks! I know it from friends who went through the process.

I'm more likely to put it down to the fact that Melania got confused and mixed things up, or jumped directly from A to Z to economise words (to put it politely for her) and to her difficulties with expressing herself in english.

Geeze, I sometimes gape when I read, in hindsight, some of the stupid things that I said. And even if I have problems with syntax (some related, others unrelated to e being 2nd) I'm -hopefully- a bit brighter than she is.

 

[Paul_Chance]

As a model, she would have been working on an O-1 visa, which requires an entry stamp (called an I-94 stamp) on your passport. For any of the O class visas the worker is required to exit at the end of the visa duration. This would have been handled by her agency since you cannot get an O-1 without a domestic sponsor. The O-1 is issued for the duration of the work project only, up to three years, with two one year extensions possible.

For models, it depends entirely on the contract they have with their domestic agency. The vast majority of foreign working models are in NYC because it remains one of the centers of the fashion/magazine industry. She was a rather successful model, both domestically and internationally. As such it would have been likely that she was signed to either yearly or multi-year pay or play contract and the duration on the visa would have been the duration of the contract. If she wasn't signed to a yearly or multi-year contract, then she would have had to exit and return each time the contract ended and a new contract was signed.

(Actors also get O-1's to come work in American television or movies).

The H1B (which is what most people think of when they think of work visas) is similiar, contingent on continued employment and is now issued as a three year visa with an additional three year extension available. If you change employers, you must exit the country and reapply.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

My point was:
You have to give more credit to the Immigration Department. Believe me - they're very observant and paranoid when it comes to such things. They wouldn't issue serial visitors visas in such a loose manner. They're Hawks! I know it from friends who went through the process.

I'm more likely to put it down to the fact that Melania got confused and mixed things up, or jumped directly from A to Z to economise words (to put it politely for her) and to her difficulties with expressing herself in english.

Geeze, I sometimes gape when I read, in hindsight, some of the stupid things that I said. And even if I have problems with syntax (some related, others unrelated to e being 2nd) I'm -hopefully- a bit brighter than she is.

So your position is that she was confused and mixed things up, on multiple occasions, in exactly the same way? Repeating the same story nearly word for word?

Right...

 

[hashtag45]

So your position is that she was confused and mixed things up, on multiple occasions, in exactly the same way? Repeating the same story nearly word for word?

Right...

No, that's just an assumption.
Because I don't know the entire story.

The only thing that I'm abs. certain of, is that INS wouldn't have allowed such a blatant thing to slip through the cracks. I know from my relatives + acquaintances of # nationalities, that INS has always been over-the top cautious.

But the poster who commented before -about the O-1 visa- seems to have come up with a more plausible explanation.

 

[Liar]

By her own admission she was in the country, working on her modeling career (If By “modeling career” you mean posing for trashy nudes that included girl-on-girl porn) from 1995 until she got a green card in 2001, with a visa that she had to fly back to Slovenia every few months to get stamped.

Hey now, I won't have you badmouthing trashy nudes and girl-on-girl porn. That's a damn worthy endeavor.

 

[Ulaven_Demorte]

Hey now, I won't have you badmouthing trashy nudes and girl-on-girl porn. That's a damn worthy endeavor.

I wasn't badmouthing trashy nudes or girl on girl porn, I just don't consider either a "modeling career". I can understand why she and her husband would rather she be known as a model rather than as a porn star though.

I mean, model sounds much classier, right? We all know The Donald is all about classy.

 

[about_average]

This is what someone would have to do with a travel visa (which does not entitle someone to work in the US). A work visa does not require an immigrant to go back home to get it stamped every few months, neither would someone eligible for the Visa Waiver Program have to make repeated trips back "home".

Depends on how you define "repeated". Even people eligible for the visa waiver program cannot stay longer than 90 days.

 

[patient1]

If it is true that she worked here illegally, taking a high paying hourly job away from an American,-

I can see the hash tag Mass Deportation begins at home, and a side by side ad, much like the clips of Hillary talking about her e-mails, and the FBI Director doing the same, quoting Trump's opinions on illegals and a picture of his wife with the facts.

"Mass Deportation begins at home!" will likely be a debate line as well as a protest chant.

 

[BettyPoop]

Mexico will pay for the wall.

Trump will pay for the revolving door in the wall for Eastern European whores.

 

[hashtag45]

Trump will pay for the revolving door in the wall for Eastern European whores.

Not their fault - that your guys no longer want to sleep with your ugly asses
lol

 

[richmondman]

What I think is hilarious is the Evangelicals being so pro-Trump. He's a fornicator, an adulterer, posted his First Lady naked with women, and famously showed that he knows nothing about the Bible. So it's all politics. The evangelicals are toast. And in 2020 their numbers decline 2%. #letemhavedirtroads and #tolls

 

[BettyPoop]

What I think is hilarious is the Evangelicals being so pro-Trump. He's a fornicator, an adulterer, posted his First Lady naked with women, and famously showed that he knows nothing about the Bible. So it's all politics. The evangelicals are toast. And in 2020 their numbers decline 2%. #letemhavedirtroads and #tolls

Unfortunately, maybe most of the Evangelicals we hear about are really Thievangelicals. Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, the Pastor who spoke at the DNC last week did a good job of tearing the Thievangelicals another butthole. The main beliefs of Thievangelicals is that the earth is a garbage can--fuck it up as much as you want, violate every sin--let the voices in your head tell you all is forgiven. I'm not so sure the Thievangelicals numbers are dropping. Let's hope they have a lot more firearms mishaps. Apparently Jesus is worthless in terms of protection.

 

[BettyPoop]

Not their fault - that your guys no longer want to sleep with your ugly asses
lol

It's not their fault they're whores? Whose fault is it?

 

[FknNemesis]

As a model, she would have been working on an O-1 visa, which requires an entry stamp (called an I-94 stamp) on your passport. For any of the O class visas the worker is required to exit at the end of the visa duration. This would have been handled by her agency since you cannot get an O-1 without a domestic sponsor. The O-1 is issued for the duration of the work project only, up to three years, with two one year extensions possible.

For models, it depends entirely on the contract they have with their domestic agency. The vast majority of foreign working models are in NYC because it remains one of the centers of the fashion/magazine industry. She was a rather successful model, both domestically and internationally. As such it would have been likely that she was signed to either yearly or multi-year pay or play contract and the duration on the visa would have been the duration of the contract. If she wasn't signed to a yearly or multi-year contract, then she would have had to exit and return each time the contract ended and a new contract was signed.

(Actors also get O-1's to come work in American television or movies).

The H1B (which is what most people think of when they think of work visas) is similiar, contingent on continued employment and is now issued as a three year visa with an additional three year extension available. If you change employers, you must exit the country and reapply.

Just bumping this to make sure selective reading and quote selection doesn't lose sight of reality and facts.



Disclaimer for those not fully sure - or too stupid to use their brain: I'm definitely not pro Trump. That doesn't mean we should resort to cheap - and possibly false - propaganda though.

 

[FknNemesis]

PS: Only Trump stands in the way of a populist being elected as President.

 

[hashtag45]

It's not their fault they're whores? Whose fault is it?

Lol that's not what I meant. But let me explain it to you in a different way:

Remember the GB paranoia that every n00b, and half of the posters who claim to be females,
are in fact men pretending to be women?
That's not true.

You, for instance.
Despite my -and other posters'- suspicions, you're not a man pretending to be a woman.
You're in fact a woman who looks like a man,
so it only looks like you're a man pretending to be a woman.