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Trump Card Visa Digital Infrastructure Appears in US Immigration System · IMI Podcasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has begun developing integration frameworks for a forthcoming gold card visa system.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: The digital framework for the Trump administration's$5 million gold card now appears in U.S.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: immigration systems.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Despite no formal announcement from the White House, according to Wired Wired magazine, it says it tested and discovered references to the Trump Card Visa in live application forms, including the global entry program that U.S.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Customs and Border Protection, or the CBP, operates.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Elon Musk's DOGE has integrated the infrastructure across multiple federal agencies, according to Wired's investigation.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: The team registered the domain TrumpCard.gov in late March, connecting it to digital systems at CBP, the State Department, and the U.S.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Citizenship and Immigration Services Electronic Immigration System.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: These connections appear designed to support what Wired describes as what may eventually become a standalone website.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Specifically for the Trump Card Visa Program, global entry applicants using foreign passports now encounter an option to indicate whether they have submitted an application for a Trump card visa.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: The investigation confirmed this option appears for citizens from numerous countries, including China, Russia, Ukraine, and South Korea, though the system directs Canadians to the existing Nexus program instead.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: The emerging digital implementation follows President Trump's announcement of plans to replace the EB5 investor visa program with what Trump initially called a gold card.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: The new program would grant permanent U.S.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: residency to wealthy individuals willing to pay$5 million directly to the U.S.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: government.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_00: During a March podcast appearance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik, who oversees the program alongside Dogie associates Marco Elez and Edward Koristein, claimed that the administration had already sold 1,000 gold cards.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: According to the podcast, Elon Musk is personally overseeing the technology development, with Lutnik noting that one of the most difficult parts involves rewriting all of the CPB infrastructure that currently runs on COBOL mainframes.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: The Trump card would differ considerably from the current EB5 program, which requires investments starting at$800,000 that create at least 10 American jobs.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: The new program eliminates these job creation requirements, functioning more as a direct payment for residency than an investment scheme.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: A critical question remains whether the administration possesses legal authority to implement such a program without congressional approval.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Current immigration law dictates precise eligibility rules and caps for green cards, with legislation like the Immigration Act of 1990 establishing specific provisions.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_00: Legal experts have questioned the administration's authority to implement the program.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: Monashaw of Monashaw and Partners Global notes that, quote, Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: Constitution states that Congress controls immigration law, making it highly unlikely that the government will discontinue the EB5 program, end quote, or replace it without legislative action.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: The administration projects that selling 1 million Trump cards could generate$5 trillion toward reducing the national debt.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: While Trump has described the program as offering a strong route to citizenship, the administration maintains that it falls under executive authority because it doesn't automatically grant citizenship.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Matthew Galati of Galati Law, however, expressed skepticism about demand at the proposed price point, quote, if the government offers the gold card only to individuals, demand would likely be extremely low.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: For context, demand for EB5 peaked in 2015 to 16, when the minimum investment was$500,000, a fraction of the$5 million Trump is proposing.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: End quote.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: The administration has not confirmed an official launch timeline, though Lutnik suggested in March that the program would go live about two weeks from today.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: The infrastructure appearing in government systems indicates the initiative continues advancing, even as questions about its legal foundation persist.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: This episode first appeared as an article by Ahmad Abbas on IMIDaily.com.
• 4:19
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• 4:25
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