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By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Newly released federal immigration records have revealed that Melania Trump sponsored her mother, Amalija Knavs, for immigration to the United States through a family-based process. According to the Washington Post, the disclosure contrasts sharply with the aggressive immigration policy that former President Donald Trump and his administration advocated.
Melania Trump used the legal route of family-based immigration, which her husband and his advisors frequently criticized as “chain migration,” in opposition to the policies promoted by the Trump administration. The records, which the news outlet received through a Freedom of Information query, placed a spotlight on the entire journey Knavs undertook from Slovenia to the United States. It highlighted how the twice-impeached and four-times indicted Trump and his administration’s policies would have made the process significantly more challenging for others.
In routine rhetoric, Trump has denounced the kind of entry into America that his mother-in-law used without ever owning up to how she gained citizenship.
“The Democrats have been told, and fully understand, that there can be no DACA without the desperately needed WALL at the Southern Border and an END to the horrible Chain Migration & ridiculous Lottery System of Immigration, etc.,” Trump tweeted on Dec. 29, 2017. “We must protect our Country at all cost!”
However, the immigration records contradict Trump and provided insight into Knavs’s educational background and language proficiency, showcasing her efforts to learn English during her immigration application. The Washington Post noted that the 165-page immigration file released on March 25 is heavily redacted in some parts, but it confirms that an adult child sponsored Knavs for a green card, and it lists the financial sponsor of the parent as “Melania Trump.”
Despite the Trump administration’s rhetoric against family-based immigration, Melania Trump sponsored her mother for legal permanent residency, a process that her immigration lawyer, Michael Wildes, emphasized followed standard procedures.
The records show that Knavs obtained legal permanent residency in 2010 and later attained citizenship in 2018, along with her husband, Viktor. “By the time Knavs applied for an immigrant visa, records show she was fluent in Slovenian but ‘learning English,’” the newspaper reported. “Her citizenship application says she retired in 1998.”
The paper said records show that Knavs was a regular visitor to the United States after her daughter moved to this country and became a permanent resident. Melania Trump married Donald Trump in 2005 and had their son the following year. She said she also became a citizen in 2006.
The Post noted further that Knavs appeared in New York for an interview and citizenship test, which involves questions in English and a test on U.S. civics. She correctly answered questions such as the name of the U.S. national anthem (“The Star-Spangled Banner”) and the ocean on the west coast of the United States (Pacific).
Asked “What is the ‘rule of law?’” she gave no answer.
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