Pablo Escobar, the notorious Colombian drug kingpin, once said, “Everyone has a price, the important thing is to find out what it is.” Today, the United States seems to have embraced this logic – particularly when it comes to citizenship.
Citizenship should not be something that can be bought; it should be earned through time, contribution, and commitment.
Yet in a nation that prides itself on fairness, hard work and the American Dream, it is alarming that wealthy individuals can simply buy their way in, while millions of others must wait, struggle, and even face rejection.
On Feb. 25, 2025, President Donald Trump announced plans to introduce a “$5 million Gold Card” visa program.
The program would provide wealthy foreign nationals with U.S. residency and a pathway to citizenship in exchange for substantial investment – it would replace the existing EB-5 visa program.
While the exact launch date remains unclear sales are anticipated to commence in late April of 2025, according to the independent.
Trump’s “Art of the Deal” philosophy has long been flawed, in part because it fails to consider the long-term consequences of such decisions.
How can the U.S. open its doors to outsiders while millions of people already contributing to American society are denied the opportunity to call themselves citizens?
It can take 20 years or longer for someone from countries like Mexico or the Philippines to obtain a green card, due to massive backlogs according to the Boundless article Visa Bulletin for May 2025.
Even people with close family ties to U.S. citizens often face decades-long waits before they can begin the path to citizenship.
This amounts to textbook corruption. It is a practice that the U.S. used to at least hide and feel ashamed of – however, now it appears the country is advertising that it can be bought for the right price.
Several other countries around the world, including Spain, Greece, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have implemented similar Golden Visa programs.
In Spain, individuals can obtain residency by investing at least €500,000 in real estate.
Greece offers a similar program starting at €250,000 in real estate – the UAE allows investors to secure renewable 5 or 10-year residency permits by making large investments in property or business.
This system is fundamentally flawed because it reduces citizenship to a mere transaction, ignoring its true value.
Such a system would only serve to further build an oligarchical society in the United States by deepening the divide between the wealthy 1% and the working class.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, an advocate for immigration reform, said, “It is time to bring our neighbors out of the shadows. It is time to give them legal status. It is time to create a reasonable path to citizenship.”
The people are not blind to the consequences of these policies, nor are they gullible enough to ignore the long-term impact and they deserve to have their voices heard.
Paul Hernandez • Apr 17, 2025 at 9:58 pm
It’s not a new thing, foreigners wishing to get a green card have had similar programs in past administrations. Where if you are investing a certain amount of money in business and hiring US citizens it is possible. I’m sure they have to go through background checks and other things any legal immigrant would have to also do.