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“Pay-to play scheme,” Ajay Bhutoria slams Trump’s ‘gold card’ plan
Bhutoria criticized the shift as an elitist policy that rewards wealth over contribution.
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Donald Trump/Ajay Bhutoria / Wikipedia/X
Silicon Valley-based Democrat and immigration reform advocate Ajay Bhutoria has slammed President Donald Trump’s proposal to sell U.S. green card privileges for $5 million, calling it a “pay-to-play scheme” that sidelines skilled workers stuck in decades-long backlogs.
“The idea that you can buy your way into a green card and citizenship for $5 million, while millions of skilled workers—engineers, doctors, tech experts—languish in a backlog that stretches over 50 years for some, especially from countries like India, is a slap in the face,” Bhutoria said.
The proposed “gold card” program, announced by Trump, would replace the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, which required foreign investors to create at least ten full-time jobs to qualify for permanent residency. The new plan eliminates that requirement, raising the investment threshold to $5 million and fast-tracking the path to U.S. citizenship.
Bhutoria, who has long advocated for recapturing unused green cards and easing restrictions on H-1B holders, criticized the shift as an elitist policy that rewards wealth over contribution. “We’re rolling out a red carpet for the ultra-wealthy—no backlog required, just a fat check,” he said. “That’s not sophistication; it’s elitism dressed up as policy.”
Trump has defended the proposal as a way to attract high-net-worth individuals who can boost the U.S. economy.
Bhutoria, however, sees it as a betrayal of skilled immigrants who have spent years working, paying taxes, and waiting for permanent residency.
“Replacing the EB-5 program, which at least had a framework for job creation, with this ‘Trump gold card’ feels like a step backward,” he said. “We need solutions that clear the backlog, support families, and strengthen our economy inclusively—not auction off citizenship to the highest bidder.”
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