Some Republicans aren't thrilled with President Donald Trump's new idea to allow 'brilliant' illegal migrants with college degrees to stay in the U.S.
The ex-president, who has said previously that he wants to deport all illegal migrants, first made the surprise proposal on the 'All-In' podcast this week.
He floated allowing illegal migrants who graduate college to get 'automatically as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country.'
'That includes junior colleges, too,' he said in the episode that was taped Wednesday.
Donald Trump has a new idea to deport all illegal immigrants - but would give 'brilliant' foreign-born college graduates an 'automatic' green card - a proposal that has earned him scorn from some on the right
'Anybody graduates from a college, you go in there for two years or four years, if you graduate, or you get a doctorate degree from a college, you should be able to stay in this country,' he continued.
His campaign later added that this would be limited to those who have been 'properly vetted.'
Trump has over the past months insisted that he would work to deport all illegal immigrants if elected president again in November.
'A two year degree in political science should NOT grant you legal U.S. residency,' Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., wrote on X.
'I'm for legal immigration. We should welcome skilled people who can strengthen our republic & who subscribe to the values enshrined in our Constitution. But this ain't it!'
'Wrong,' Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, shot back to the idea on X. He explained: '1) our nation is a crap-show of unknown inhabitants after open borders, so secure first - 2) we have record foreign born as it is, 3) college mostly overrated anti-American garbage, 4) not all degrees / jobs are same, 5) stop paying people not to work / train Americans.'
David Sacks, one of the podcast hosts, asked if he would expand H1-B work visas for tech workers after fixing the border, to which Trump answered in the affirmative. He complained that 'highly skilled' workers were leaving the U.S. due to visa issues.
'Somebody graduates at the top of the class, they can't even make a deal with the company because they don't think they're going to be able to stay in the country. That is going to end on Day 1,' Trump said.
'It's so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, from the greatest schools,' he added.
The new proposal seemed to be a reach to his burgeoning Silicon Valley support. Trump pulled in $12 million at a tech industry fundraiser earlier this month. A growing horde of tech moguls who once reliably donated to Democrats are now switching to back Trump.
President Biden earlier this week announced his own new immigration policy: allowing the 500,000 undocumented spouses of American citizens to stay in the country. The White House framed the new election-year policy as a way 'to keep families together.'
The new policy would allow unlawful migrants who have been in the country for at least 10 years and are married to a U.S. citizen, and their children, to apply for permanent residence without leaving the country.
