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

[ag]

But I cannot think of a situation where traveling abroad regularly would have been required (at most, one has to travel abroad for a one-time visa status adjustment).

Yeah I know of one person who had to leave the country for some visa issue.  They didn't have to go to freakin' Slovenia though.  They just had to poke their nose over the border and do whatever paperwork at a US Consulate "overseas".  I think they took a day trip by car up to Canada.  I've heard all kinds of tales of quirky visa issues and Rube Goldberg remedies but flying to Solovenia every six months is a new one for me... especially on this H1B visa Redban is swearing she had.  Who in their right mind would hire someone on an H1B visa that needed to go to Slovenia every six months?  I mean all the people I know who have H1B visas have graduate degrees and work in critical jobs that are woefully under supplied.  These employers can't just let these guys bolt every six months.

You do realize elite models travel all over the world for work, right? Paris, Milan, New York, etc. all have their own versions of fashion week.

Leaving the country is in their job description.

Your H1B visa analogy fails on that point alone. They are supposed to be mobile.

You do realize that US immigration law does not give a fig about such a job description? The main work visa in the US is called H-1B, and if processing it means you cannot do your job, US law has only one option for you: lose your job.

In any case, the giveaway here is not that she had to travel, but that she had to travel every six months. Pretty much the only common thing in US immigration practice that has 6 months in it, is the duration of time border agents normally stamp as the entry period for those on the B1/B2 (business/tourist) visa. Changing the B1/B2 status during those 6 month period to one allowing employment (or even extending the B1/B2 status beyond 6 months if there is a reason US law recognises as legitimate) does not require traveling outside the US.  "6 month" travel period has "employment prohibited" written all across it in large red letters, recognisable to all of us who had to deal with US visa/immigration system. She explicitly said she did it for immigration reasons: there are no legal immigration reasons she had to do it. That is what makes people in the know perk up.

I am pretty sure she remembered it correctly: she entered on, say, June 1, the stamp in her passport said "admitted till Nov. 30", so she left before it was up and thought she was all right. She was not. She, almost certainly, was not allowed to earn a living in the US, and doing that would automatically mean she was violating her immigration status. If this were discovered when she was reentering, she would have not been admitted, but sent back to Europe on the next plain. Most likely, she was coached by whoever was in charge of her to say that she is simply visiting: plausible for an obviously rich girl (a model does look "rich"). She may have thought it was just to make things simple and that as long as her admission stamp/migration form said she was ok with time it did not matter. But a lot of people have been deported/stuck many months in an immigration jail for much less.

[egalitt]

She isn't smart enough to commit anything except an act of plagiarism.

[Antonio the Sixth]

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

You must be logged in to read this quote.

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/

L-O-L

BREAKING NEWS: Person accused of breaking the law denies having broken the law

Well, I guess that settles it for good.

[dspNY]

This one to me is ehhhh...I wouldn't pursue it much. Pivot back to the economy and how Trump is a lying outsourcer, national security and how he is completely unfit to be president, and how terrifying it would be to give him the nukes. The issue doing the most damage to Trump right now is that he is a hypocrite on the economy and a complete psycho

[Simfan34]

This one to me is ehhhh...I wouldn't pursue it much. Pivot back to the economy and how Trump is a lying outsourcer, national security and how he is completely unfit to be president, and how terrifying it would be to give him the nukes. The issue doing the most damage to Trump right now is that he is a hypocrite on the economy and a complete psycho

No, this needs to be pursued to death. His own wife could be an illegal, and he obviously would have known. I can't see how his supporters could even justify that without calling for compassion and understanding for (one) undocumented immigrant.

The irony would be too delicious to pass this up. The cherry on top,  if you would. Time to file some FOIA requests and call Preet!

[MasterJedi]

This one to me is ehhhh...I wouldn't pursue it much. Pivot back to the economy and how Trump is a lying outsourcer, national security and how he is completely unfit to be president, and how terrifying it would be to give him the nukes. The issue doing the most damage to Trump right now is that he is a hypocrite on the economy and a complete psycho

No, this needs to be pursued to death. His own wife could be an illegal, and he obviously would have known. I can't see how his supporters could even justify that without calling for compassion and understanding for (one) undocumented immigrant.

The irony would be too delicious to pass this up. The cherry on top,  if you would. Time to file some FOIA requests and call Preet!

She's white so being an illegal immigrant wouldn't be a problem for Trumpers.

But I agree, pursue it hard and if she is illegal grab her and deport her during the campaign. Headline: "Hypocrite: Trump Harbors Illegal Immigrant".

[emailking]

This one to me is ehhhh...I wouldn't pursue it much. Pivot back to the economy and how Trump is a lying outsourcer, national security and how he is completely unfit to be president, and how terrifying it would be to give him the nukes. The issue doing the most damage to Trump right now is that he is a hypocrite on the economy and a complete psycho

No, this needs to be pursued to death. His own wife could be an illegal, and he obviously would have known. I can't see how his supporters could even justify that without calling for compassion and understanding for (one) undocumented immigrant.

The irony would be too delicious to pass this up. The cherry on top,  if you would. Time to file some FOIA requests and call Preet!

She's white so being an illegal immigrant wouldn't be a problem for Trumpers.

But I agree, pursue it hard and if she is illegal grab her and deport her during the campaign. Headline: "Hypocrite: Trump Harbors Illegal Immigrant".

She's a US citizen now.

[Kalimantan]

This one to me is ehhhh...I wouldn't pursue it much. Pivot back to the economy and how Trump is a lying outsourcer, national security and how he is completely unfit to be president, and how terrifying it would be to give him the nukes. The issue doing the most damage to Trump right now is that he is a hypocrite on the economy and a complete psycho

No, this needs to be pursued to death. His own wife could be an illegal, and he obviously would have known. I can't see how his supporters could even justify that without calling for compassion and understanding for (one) undocumented immigrant.

The irony would be too delicious to pass this up. The cherry on top,  if you would. Time to file some FOIA requests and call Preet!

She's white so being an illegal immigrant wouldn't be a problem for Trumpers.

But I agree, pursue it hard and if she is illegal grab her and deport her during the campaign. Headline: "Hypocrite: Trump Harbors Illegal Immigrant".

She's a US citizen now.

Renounce her citizenship!!!!

lol

[elcorazon]

Liberals just aren't as good at getting these ridiculous and misleading stories to stick. This one won't last long.

that's because the media is actually not liberal. The mainstream media, while having a lot of people working for them who likely vote for Democrats, actually makes an effort to report fairly, and the right wing media (fox news, et. al.) truly operates as an arm of the right wing politicians and as a result they keep the bullsh**t anti-Hillary or anti-Obama stories percolating into their audiences consciousness.

[Taco Truck 🚚]

But I cannot think of a situation where traveling abroad regularly would have been required (at most, one has to travel abroad for a one-time visa status adjustment).

Yeah I know of one person who had to leave the country for some visa issue.  They didn't have to go to freakin' Slovenia though.  They just had to poke their nose over the border and do whatever paperwork at a US Consulate "overseas".  I think they took a day trip by car up to Canada.  I've heard all kinds of tales of quirky visa issues and Rube Goldberg remedies but flying to Solovenia every six months is a new one for me... especially on this H1B visa Redban is swearing she had.  Who in their right mind would hire someone on an H1B visa that needed to go to Slovenia every six months?  I mean all the people I know who have H1B visas have graduate degrees and work in critical jobs that are woefully under supplied.  These employers can't just let these guys bolt every six months.

You do realize elite models travel all over the world for work, right? Paris, Milan, New York, etc. all have their own versions of fashion week.

WTF does that have to do with anything?  If my boss regularly sends me to Paris and Milan for work that doesn't give me carte blanche to bolt and hang out in Slovenia every six months.  Where do you work, man?

And more importantly she said she had to leave every six months for immigration reasons.

Your H1B visa analogy...

Look up the definition of analogy.  H1B visa was brought up by Redban and his wonderful "source".  It isn't an "analogy".  If you have a problem with it take it up with him.  The fact of the matter is H1B visa holders are not required to go to Slovenia every six months for immigration purposes.  Either Melania is lying or Redban's infallible source is lying.  I have nothing to do with that.

She's white so being an illegal immigrant wouldn't be a problem for Trumpers.

But I agree, pursue it hard and if she is illegal grab her and deport her during the campaign. Headline: "Hypocrite: Trump Harbors Illegal Immigrant".

She's a US citizen now.

Lol.  That's not the way the law works.  The Politico article said if it is determined that she lied she can be stripped of her US citizenship.

My god.  Think of what you are advocating.  You are saying if someone can lie and get away with it long enough then they get awarded US citizenship and there is nothing wrong with that.  Nice set of values on you there, pal.

This one to me is ehhhh...I wouldn't pursue it much.

I'm sure Dreamers that were brought here when they were two years old are thinking the same thing.  Careful, a little white suburbanite tendency is showing.

This is not something for Hillary to dirty her hands with but other distant parts of the apparatus should definitely do their part to find out what is going on with this apparent bit of hypocrisy.

[An American Tail: Fubart Goes West]

Oh yes -- the man who sponsored her for a work Visa and has extensive experience with professional modeling has "no knowledge of the situation."

She went there to take pictures that she could add to her portfolio, with no exchange of money. If you visit a country and have someone take your pictures as you stand in front of a landmark, then are you committing immigration fraud?

That's a very good point. So, by the same line of thinking, if a foreign photographer took pictures of say Yosemite and then sold them when they got back home, would that also be visa fraud? Seems a bit ridiculous if it would be classified as visa fraud.

[MasterJedi]

This one to me is ehhhh...I wouldn't pursue it much. Pivot back to the economy and how Trump is a lying outsourcer, national security and how he is completely unfit to be president, and how terrifying it would be to give him the nukes. The issue doing the most damage to Trump right now is that he is a hypocrite on the economy and a complete psycho

No, this needs to be pursued to death. His own wife could be an illegal, and he obviously would have known. I can't see how his supporters could even justify that without calling for compassion and understanding for (one) undocumented immigrant.

The irony would be too delicious to pass this up. The cherry on top,  if you would. Time to file some FOIA requests and call Preet!

She's white so being an illegal immigrant wouldn't be a problem for Trumpers.

But I agree, pursue it hard and if she is illegal grab her and deport her during the campaign. Headline: "Hypocrite: Trump Harbors Illegal Immigrant".

She's a US citizen now.

So basically what you're saying that all illegal immigrants need to do is lie about it and get citizenship and then it's ok? New headline, "Trump supports path to citizenship for illegals if they lie about it".

[ag]

Oh yes -- the man who sponsored her for a work Visa and has extensive experience with professional modeling has "no knowledge of the situation."

She went there to take pictures that she could add to her portfolio, with no exchange of money. If you visit a country and have someone take your pictures as you stand in front of a landmark, then are you committing immigration fraud?

That's a very good point. So, by the same line of thinking, if a foreign photographer took pictures of say Yosemite and then sold them when they got back home, would that also be visa fraud? Seems a bit ridiculous if it would be classified as visa fraud.

No. What is prohibited is US employment. You can work in the US on B1 visa: for your foreign boss (there is an interesting extension: if you are a maid of a foreign boss who takes you with him to the US, you can work for him even while he is in the US on B1, but that has to be stated when you apply for the visa). What is not allowed is working for a US employer. So, if she was working for a foreign modelling agency, which sent her to NY to take some shoots with NYC views, she was fine. But if she was being paid by Americans, she was not.

[Redban]

Oh yes -- the man who sponsored her for a work Visa and has extensive experience with professional modeling has "no knowledge of the situation."

She went there to take pictures that she could add to her portfolio, with no exchange of money. If you visit a country and have someone take your pictures as you stand in front of a landmark, then are you committing immigration fraud?

That's a very good point. So, by the same line of thinking, if a foreign photographer took pictures of say Yosemite and then sold them when they got back home, would that also be visa fraud? Seems a bit ridiculous if it would be classified as visa fraud.

No. What is prohibited is US employment. You can work in the US on B1 visa: for your foreign boss (there is an interesting extension: if you are a maid of a foreign boss who takes you with him to the US, you can work for him even while he is in the US on B1, but that has to be stated when you apply for the visa). What is not allowed is working for a US employer. So, if she was working for a foreign modelling agency, which sent her to NY to take some shoots with NYC views, she was fine. But if she was being paid by Americans, she was not.

The photographer who shot the 1995 pics already said that Melania received no compensation.

(See the last sentence in the link below)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-modeling-agent-reveals-details-about-melania-trumps-visa/

[ag]

Oh yes -- the man who sponsored her for a work Visa and has extensive experience with professional modeling has "no knowledge of the situation."

She went there to take pictures that she could add to her portfolio, with no exchange of money. If you visit a country and have someone take your pictures as you stand in front of a landmark, then are you committing immigration fraud?

That's a very good point. So, by the same line of thinking, if a foreign photographer took pictures of say Yosemite and then sold them when they got back home, would that also be visa fraud? Seems a bit ridiculous if it would be classified as visa fraud.

No. What is prohibited is US employment. You can work in the US on B1 visa: for your foreign boss (there is an interesting extension: if you are a maid of a foreign boss who takes you with him to the US, you can work for him even while he is in the US on B1, but that has to be stated when you apply for the visa). What is not allowed is working for a US employer. So, if she was working for a foreign modelling agency, which sent her to NY to take some shoots with NYC views, she was fine. But if she was being paid by Americans, she was not.

The photographer who shot the 1995 pics already said that Melania received no compensation.

(See the last sentence in the link below)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-modeling-agent-reveals-details-about-melania-trumps-visa/

If it  were only one shoot, perhaps, it would be enough But she lived in the US in an unclear status for quite a while. What was she living on? Was she selling something in Slovenia?

This is the rub: figuring out whether she was legally in the US requires figuring out what was the source of her income. She was, almost certainly, not allowed to earn money in the US. Where was she earning it and how?

BTW, US visa form also asks applicants to specify if they are coming in the US to practice prostitution (I am pretty certain a visa would not be granted if the answer is "yes"). I am not claiming anything about Mrs. Trump, but certain obvious things would, likewise, constitute visa fraud.

Ah, and, BTW, at the time there existed no provision in the US law allowing foreign brides to join their US grooms (or vice versa) before actual marriage (after marriage the spouse could be sponsored for a visa). Having a US boyfriend would have been considered relevant evidence of potential immigrant intent and would have likely, if revealed, resulted in visa denial. While this has been since changed, at the time there were thousands and thousands of such mixed couples living all along the US-Mexico border, because one of the partners was not allowed to enter the US, while the other was a US citizen working in the US. So, saying that she had a boyfriend who paid for her, if she did not reveal that in the consulate, would not absolve her of visa fraud. Let us hope that a rich foreign boyfriend (with a foreign source of income) can be found in this case

[Redban]

Oh yes -- the man who sponsored her for a work Visa and has extensive experience with professional modeling has "no knowledge of the situation."

She went there to take pictures that she could add to her portfolio, with no exchange of money. If you visit a country and have someone take your pictures as you stand in front of a landmark, then are you committing immigration fraud?

That's a very good point. So, by the same line of thinking, if a foreign photographer took pictures of say Yosemite and then sold them when they got back home, would that also be visa fraud? Seems a bit ridiculous if it would be classified as visa fraud.

No. What is prohibited is US employment. You can work in the US on B1 visa: for your foreign boss (there is an interesting extension: if you are a maid of a foreign boss who takes you with him to the US, you can work for him even while he is in the US on B1, but that has to be stated when you apply for the visa). What is not allowed is working for a US employer. So, if she was working for a foreign modelling agency, which sent her to NY to take some shoots with NYC views, she was fine. But if she was being paid by Americans, she was not.

The photographer who shot the 1995 pics already said that Melania received no compensation.

(See the last sentence in the link below)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-modeling-agent-reveals-details-about-melania-trumps-visa/

If it  were only one shoot, perhaps, it would be enough But she lived in the US in an unclear status for quite a while. What was she living on? Was she selling something in Slovenia?

This is the rub: figuring out whether she was legally in the US requires figuring out what was the source of her income. She was, almost certainly, not allowed to earn money in the US. Where was she earning it and how?

BTW, US visa form also asks applicants to specify if they are coming in the US to practice prostitution (I am pretty certain a visa would not be granted if the answer is "yes"). I am not claiming anything about Mrs. Trump, but certain obvious things would, likewise, constitute visa fraud.

Firstly:

From 1996-onwards, she had a work visa (confirmed by the agency); so she was getting paid by the agency at that time. Indeed, one article says, "Zampolli's agency paid Melania's share of the rent as part of their contract." If they paid for her rent, then they likely helped cover food and other necessities too.

http://www.gq.com/story/melania-trump-gq-interview

Secondly:

You say, "she lived in the US in an unclear status for quite a while." But that statement (esp. the bolded) is speculative. Again, she had a work Visa from 1996-onwards, and all we have before that time are the nude photos from 1995 -- just one year prior. Is one year "quite a while"?

She was a model in Europe before coming here. She likely had money to support herself for a few months before she acquired the work visa in 1996. If not, then she might have had loved ones willing to help her.

Thirdly:

I have no idea what point you are trying to convey with the 3rd paragraph. Are you suggesting that she worked as a prostitute?

[Redban]

Ah, and, BTW, at the time there existed no provision in the US law allowing foreign brides to join their US grooms (or vice versa) before actual marriage (after marriage the spouse could be sponsored for a visa). Having a US boyfriend would have been considered relevant evidence of potential immigrant intent and would have likely, if revealed, resulted in visa denial. While this has been since changed, at the time there were thousands and thousands of such mixed couples living all along the US-Mexico border, because one of the partners was not allowed to enter the US, while the other was a US citizen working in the US. So, saying that she had a boyfriend who paid for her, if she did not reveal that in the consulate, would not absolve her of visa fraud. Let us hope that a rich foreign boyfriend (with a foreign source of income) can be found in this case

OK? Are you suggesting that she, in 1995, had a boyfriend in America who paid for her livelihood? On what basis do you conjure this supposition? Where is your evidence?

[ag]

Ah, and, BTW, at the time there existed no provision in the US law allowing foreign brides to join their US grooms (or vice versa) before actual marriage (after marriage the spouse could be sponsored for a visa). Having a US boyfriend would have been considered relevant evidence of potential immigrant intent and would have likely, if revealed, resulted in visa denial. While this has been since changed, at the time there were thousands and thousands of such mixed couples living all along the US-Mexico border, because one of the partners was not allowed to enter the US, while the other was a US citizen working in the US. So, saying that she had a boyfriend who paid for her, if she did not reveal that in the consulate, would not absolve her of visa fraud. Let us hope that a rich foreign boyfriend (with a foreign source of income) can be found in this case

OK? Are you suggesting that she, in 1995, had a boyfriend in America who paid for her livelihood? On what basis do you conjure this supposition? Where is your evidence?

No. I am suggesting that even that, were it true, would not be enough to claim she did not commit visa fraud. You need to find an income source from outside the US that allowed her to live in NY (or wherever she was). And that source cannot be a US boyfriend - unless she properly told this to the US consul in Ljubljana and he still issued her the visa.

So, you say she did not work in the US - fine. Suppose she had no US boyfriend - fine. But we do no she ate, and she did not sleep in the street. So, how did she pay for it, given that she was receiving no income from the US?

[emailking]

This one to me is ehhhh...I wouldn't pursue it much. Pivot back to the economy and how Trump is a lying outsourcer, national security and how he is completely unfit to be president, and how terrifying it would be to give him the nukes. The issue doing the most damage to Trump right now is that he is a hypocrite on the economy and a complete psycho

No, this needs to be pursued to death. His own wife could be an illegal, and he obviously would have known. I can't see how his supporters could even justify that without calling for compassion and understanding for (one) undocumented immigrant.

The irony would be too delicious to pass this up. The cherry on top,  if you would. Time to file some FOIA requests and call Preet!

She's white so being an illegal immigrant wouldn't be a problem for Trumpers.

But I agree, pursue it hard and if she is illegal grab her and deport her during the campaign. Headline: "Hypocrite: Trump Harbors Illegal Immigrant".

She's a US citizen now.

So basically what you're saying that all illegal immigrants need to do is lie about it and get citizenship and then it's ok? New headline, "Trump supports path to citizenship for illegals if they lie about it".

Umm, no. I said nothing like that. You said she should be deported if she came here illegally, but she can't be deported because she's a US citizen. She might be guilty of a crime (in that scenario), but the statute of limitations has likely expired. It doesn't make it ok, but that's the reality.

[ag]

This one to me is ehhhh...I wouldn't pursue it much. Pivot back to the economy and how Trump is a lying outsourcer, national security and how he is completely unfit to be president, and how terrifying it would be to give him the nukes. The issue doing the most damage to Trump right now is that he is a hypocrite on the economy and a complete psycho

No, this needs to be pursued to death. His own wife could be an illegal, and he obviously would have known. I can't see how his supporters could even justify that without calling for compassion and understanding for (one) undocumented immigrant.

The irony would be too delicious to pass this up. The cherry on top,  if you would. Time to file some FOIA requests and call Preet!

She's white so being an illegal immigrant wouldn't be a problem for Trumpers.

But I agree, pursue it hard and if she is illegal grab her and deport her during the campaign. Headline: "Hypocrite: Trump Harbors Illegal Immigrant".

She's a US citizen now.

So basically what you're saying that all illegal immigrants need to do is lie about it and get citizenship and then it's ok? New headline, "Trump supports path to citizenship for illegals if they lie about it".

Umm, no. I said nothing like that. You said she should be deported if she came here illegally, but she can't be deported because she's a US citizen. She might be guilty of a crime (in that scenario), but the statute of limitations has likely expired. It doesn't make it ok, but that's the reality.

Citizenship obtained by misrepresentation is invalid. Nazi criminals who spent 50 years as US citizens have been stripped of their citizenship and deported in the past.

In fact, she, probably, committed no crime. But she may have obtained citizenship by misrepresentation (which is not a crime, but a purely civil matter). Whether you consider that to be serious enough to go after the poor stupid girl, is another matter. But there may well be legal grounds to do so. And, I am sure, if she were not Melania Trump but Ghazala Khan, you would have happily gone after her.

[emailking]

And, I am sure, if she were not Melania Trump but Ghazala Khan, you would have happily gone after her.

Umm, no. I've never said anything negative about the Khans nor anything positive about what Trump said about them. I'm not a Trump supporter in the slightest and my posting history backs that up. Doesn't mean his wife should be run out of the country. Maybe I'm wrong on the legality of the deportation. But your generalization is pretty offensive to me.

[ag]

And, I am sure, if she were not Melania Trump but Ghazala Khan, you would have happily gone after her.

Umm, no. I've never said anything negative about the Khans nor anything positive about what Trump said about them. I'm not a Trump supporter in the slightest and my posting history backs that up. Doesn't mean his wife should be run out of the country. Maybe I'm wrong on the legality of the deportation. But your generalization is pretty offensive to me.

His wife should not be run out of the country. But Mr. Trump himself will have to explain why

[JRP1994]

http://www.univision.com/univision-news/politics/questions-raised-about-melanias-marriage-history

In an interview with Larry King Live in 2005 Melania Trump said that she had never been married before meeting Donald Trump.

But, Michael Wildes, an immigration attorney who worked for the Trump Organization, told Univision's investigative unit that she obtained a green card four years earlier in 2001, “based on marriage.”

[Wells]

That's weird. I think we'll find the answer in Trump's tax returns though.

[Simfan34]

Sham marriage? Can anything be done about that from a legal standpoint?

Keep in mind Trump surrogates are still, right now, going on about Obama's transcripts and suggesting/saying he's a Muslim. There's absolutely no reason why demanding Melania release her papers would be an unreasonable request, in that context. The whole birther thing was justification enough.