By Shubhangi Chowdhury
As the Trump administration cracks down on immigration and increased efforts to strictly enforce immigration laws, a controversial issue has come into focus. During his presidency, Trump pushed for policies that could even strip citizenship from naturalized Americans —people who were born in other countries but legally became U.S. citizens later in life.
Against this proposed policy, a petition started on MoveOn, a well-known progressive group that pushes for changes in public policy. Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), her parents, and her son Barron Trump, are all to be deported, according to the petition.
Even Melania Trump’s visa type to enter the United States has drawn criticism from the public. Called the EB-1 visa or the “Einstein visa” because it’s usually given to people who are very highly skilled or famous in fields like science, the arts, or business-like top scientists, award-winning artists, or major CEOs, Melania Trump has resided in the U.S. as an immigrant before taking the path of naturalization.
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Given Trump’s extreme position on immigration and the tougher regulations he has advocated for, it brings the issue of how Melania and her family obtained their U.S. visas and citizenship. The petition quickly gained attention all over the social media where supporters of the petition argue that if Trump wants to be strict about immigration, then his own family’s immigration history should also be examined.
What is Melania Trump’s visa status?
Melania Trump was born in 1970 in then Yugoslavia, now Slovenia, to be specific in Novo Mesto. She moved to the United States in 1996 under a B‑1/B‑2 visitor visa, and soon after switched to an H‑1B visa that allowed her to work as a model in New York. In March 2001, she obtained an EB‑1 “extraordinary ability” visa, a fast-track path to permanent residency reserved for individuals with exceptional achievements.
Criticism towards her EB-1 eligibility
Critics have pointed this out because the EB‑1 visa is meant for the best of the best such as Nobel laureates, Olympic gold medalists, top-tier scientists. However, Melania got in under that same category. But her modeling career, didn’t offer her with that kind of global recognition.
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on June 25, Representative Jasmine Crockett pressed the Trump administration to apply its strict immigration standards equally—including to Melania Trump, questioning why her EB‑1 visa hadn’t been examined when others were being revoked or deported.
Describing the EB‑1’s high bar, she said: “You’re supposed to have some sort of significant achievement, like being awarded a Nobel Peace Prize or a Pulitzer; being an Olympic medalist; or having other sustained extraordinary abilities and success … Last time I checked the first lady had none of those accolades under her belt.”
Crockett challenged the fairness of targeting everyday immigrants while bypassing the President’s own family, asking: why should others face visa revocation when Melania’s case remains untouched?
READ: Banks and telecom giants overtake tech in H-1B visa hiring, data shows (June 30, 2025)
US First Naturalized Lady
Melania became a naturalized U.S. citizen in July 2006, making her the first-ever naturalized citizen to serve as First Lady.
After becoming a U.S. citizen in 2006, Melania Trump sponsored her parents (Viktor and Amalija Knavs), for green cards and eventually citizenship. According to The New York Times, Melania’s parents gained permanent residency (green cards) through her sponsorship, and by August 2018, they were sworn in as U.S. citizens in New York.
The Petition
Even though the petition was first launched five months ago, it’s only now picking up real momentum, as reported by the Ireland-based paper Irish Star. Back then, it had barely 100 signatures. But by the time the report was published, that number had jumped past 6,000.
“Since Trump wants to deport naturalized citizens, I believe it is only fair that Melania and her parents are on the first boat out. In addition, Melania’s anchor baby, Barron, should be forced to leave as well because we know that his mother’s mother was born in a different country,” the petition read.
The petition further stated that “That is part of the criteria that Trump is putting into place. Your mother’s mother has to have been born in the United States and we know Melania’s mother was born elsewhere. If it’s good for one, it’s good for all! There should be no exceptions! On the first boat or flight out.”
READ: Trump acts fast to curb immigration, end diversity programs (January 21, 2025)
“It is important that this is done to show that it is not a matter of favoritism. If this is truly about national security, then Melania needs to go,” the petition added.
Earlier in March, California Congresswoman Maxine Waters at an anti-DOGE protest in Los Angeles publicly stated, “When he (Trump) talks about birthright, and he’s going to undo the fact that the Constitution allows those who are born here, even if the parents are undocumented, they have a right to stay in America. If he wants to start looking so closely to find those who were born here and their parents were undocumented, maybe he ought to first look at Melania,” Fox News quoted Waters saying in reference to the executive order aimed to eliminate birthright citizenship.
Trump’s executive order lays it out clearly: for a child born in the U.S. to automatically get citizenship, at least one parent needs to be a U.S. citizen, a green card holder, or someone serving in the U.S. military.
“The federal government will not recognize automatic birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens born in the United States. We are also going to enhance vetting and screening of illegal aliens,” said a Trump official in January.