WASHINGTON: Donald Trump has said he wishes to grant ‘green cards’, to ‘foreign’ graduates from US colleges. This is an apparent softening of his typically ‘hard-line’ view on immigration, which emerging as a ‘key issue’, in the upcoming presidential election.

The Republican candidate made the remarks in a podcast published on Thursday. This is just days after President Joe Biden announced a citizenship pathway for immigrants married to US nationals, counterbalancing his recent crackdown on illegal border crossings.

“What I want to do and what I will do is, you graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically as part of your diploma a green card to be able to stay in this country” Trump told the ‘All-In’ podcast.

A green card is the commonly used name for a ‘permanent resident card’ in the United States and the first step towards citizenship.

Trump says this should include “anybody who graduates from a college,” including those who complete two-year programs, known as junior colleges, and doctoral graduates.

Asked initially on the podcast if he would promise to help import the “best and the brightest around the world to America,” Trump replied: “I do promise.” He added: “I know of stories where people graduated from a top college, or from a college, and they desperately want to stay here and they can’t.

Published in Dawn, June 22nd, 2024