Trump says he would give green cards to foreign graduates of US colleges

Former United States President Donald Trump has said he would automatically grant green cards to foreign graduates of US colleges if re-elected, an unexpected turn from the Republican known for his tough rhetoric on immigration.
During a podcast interview with Silicon Valley tech investors on Thursday, Trump promised to make it easier to bring talent to the US and said anyone who graduates from a US college should be able to stay in the country.
“It’s so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, the greatest schools, and lesser schools that are phenomenal schools also,” Trump said during an appearance on the All-In Podcast hosted by Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks and David Friedberg.
“I think you should get, automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country and that includes junior colleges, too,” Trump added.
A green card gives individuals the right to live and work permanently in the US and offers a pathway to citizenship.
Trump’s proposal, which would create potentially hundreds of thousands of new citizenship applicants each year, marks a sharp departure from the hardline positions on immigration that propelled his rise within the Republican Party.
Trump, who once claimed migrants were “poisoning the blood of our country”, has pledged to undertake the largest deportation of undocumented migrants in US history and has repeatedly attacked his Democratic rival, President Joe Biden, as being soft on immigration.
At a campaign event in Wisconsin on Tuesday, Trump hit out at a programme Biden announced this week that will allow undocumented spouses of US citizens to apply for permanent residence without having to leave the country.