Trump admin treated visas like 'million-dollar Mar-a-Lago memberships' and refused to hand over 'any information'

Source: msn/Law & Crime

12h


The Trump administration violated the law by refusing to hand over "any information" that would shed light on the president's $1 million "Gold Card Visa Program" and its "impact on the public," according to a new federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., against several agencies.

Democracy Defenders Fund and Colombo & Hurd, a Florida law firm, sued the State Department, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Commerce Department (DOC), and DHS, claiming that each agency "fail[ed] to release documents" of "national significance" that the plaintiffs are entitled to receive under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

The group, cofounded by former Obama administration "ethics czar" Norm Eisen, said that the public has a right to know just how the agencies have developed and implemented the Gold Card program after President Donald Trump created it by executive order in September.

Already suing over the program itself by calling it a "pay-to-play" scheme that "privileges wealthy immigrants" over scientists, researchers, and academics, the self-described "nonpartisan, non-profit" is now taking the next step to obtain the documents about a program Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said sold "over $1 billion worth" of gold cards.

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/trump-admin-treated-visas-like-million-dollar-mar-a-lago-memberships-refused-to-hand-over-any-information-about-impact-on-the-public-lawsuit/ar-AA20TuDG