US Vice President JD Vance has said that green card holders in the United States do not have an indefinite right to stay in the country and can be deported at the administration’s discretion.
His remarks amid US President Donald Trump’s push for the ‘Trump Gold Card’, a new investor visa programme allowing foreigners to gain US citizenship by investing $5 million in the country.
Commenting on the possible deportation of a Columbia University student over his pro-Palestinian activism, Vance said that the decision is ultimately about whom the American public wants to include in the national community.
“For a green card holder, even if I might like that green card holder, he does not have an indefinite right to be in the United States of America,” the Vice President said in an interview with Fox News.
A green card grants lawful permanent residence and allows holders to live and work permanently in the US as long as they do not commit any actions that would violate immigration law.
Indians account for the second-largest immigrant community in the US, with several thousands holding the green card.
Vance further asserted that American citizens have different rights from people who have green cards and people who are on student visas.
“My attitude on this is that it is not fundamentally about free speech. To me, yes, it is about national security, but more importantly, it is about who we, as the American public, decide to allow to join the national community”.
Vance stressed that if the US President or the Secretary of State decides that a person should not be in the country, “they have no legal right to stay here. It is as simple as that”.
When asked about more deportations similar to that of Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, Vance said the US would certainly see some people get deported if the country determines that it is not in the best interest to have them.
“I don’t know how high that number is going to be, but you are going to see more people,” he said.
Khalil was arrested on Saturday, and is currently in the custody of immigration authorities as the Donald Trump administration began fulfilling its campaign promise to deport foreign-born activists who participated in the wave of pro-Palestinian protests on US college campuses last year.
