WASHINGTON — The parents of the first lady, Melania Trump, have obtained lawful permanent residency in the United States, a lawyer for the couple confirmed Wednesday, but it remains unclear how or when the couple received their green cards.
The lack of clarity about when and how Viktor and Amalija Knavs obtained their legal residencies raises questions about whether the couple secured their residency through family-based immigration, which President Trump calls chain migration and has said he wants to restrict. Immigration experts said it would have been the most direct, and most likely, way for Mrs. Trump’s parents, formerly of Slovenia, to get their green cards.
Their immigration lawyer, Michael J. Wildes, declined to offer any details.
“It’s a privilege to help this family, but I have to respect their privacy as well,” Mr. Wildes said in a brief interview.
“Immigration is in our DNA,” he added. “We have to take great pride, no matter where somebody hails from, in that legacy.”
Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for Mrs. Trump, wrote in an email that she would not comment on Mrs. Trump’s parents because “they are not part of this administration, and deserve their privacy.” The Washington Post first reported the Knavses’ immigration status.
Under family-based immigration, adult American citizens can petition for residency for their parents, adult married children and siblings. Mr. Trump would limit that to spouses and children under 21.
In the Knavses’ case, Mrs. Trump, who became a citizen in 2006 after obtaining a green card, would have sponsored them.
“It would be odd if she sponsored her parents and didn’t want to talk about that because it’s a fairly routine thing,” said Hiroshi Motomura, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who specializes in immigration law. “It only becomes sensitive if her husband is taking a position against this.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/...edCenter&action=click&src=recg&pgtype=article
The lack of clarity about when and how Viktor and Amalija Knavs obtained their legal residencies raises questions about whether the couple secured their residency through family-based immigration, which President Trump calls chain migration and has said he wants to restrict. Immigration experts said it would have been the most direct, and most likely, way for Mrs. Trump’s parents, formerly of Slovenia, to get their green cards.
Their immigration lawyer, Michael J. Wildes, declined to offer any details.
“It’s a privilege to help this family, but I have to respect their privacy as well,” Mr. Wildes said in a brief interview.
“Immigration is in our DNA,” he added. “We have to take great pride, no matter where somebody hails from, in that legacy.”
Stephanie Grisham, a spokeswoman for Mrs. Trump, wrote in an email that she would not comment on Mrs. Trump’s parents because “they are not part of this administration, and deserve their privacy.” The Washington Post first reported the Knavses’ immigration status.
Under family-based immigration, adult American citizens can petition for residency for their parents, adult married children and siblings. Mr. Trump would limit that to spouses and children under 21.
In the Knavses’ case, Mrs. Trump, who became a citizen in 2006 after obtaining a green card, would have sponsored them.
“It would be odd if she sponsored her parents and didn’t want to talk about that because it’s a fairly routine thing,” said Hiroshi Motomura, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who specializes in immigration law. “It only becomes sensitive if her husband is taking a position against this.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/21/...edCenter&action=click&src=recg&pgtype=article
