[Big read] Pay or reveal: How America’s borders favour the wealthy

“Pay me a million bucks for green card, or else you'll dig up my whole family tree for 18 generations?”

“Isn’t this supposed to be visa-free? Why are there so many checks?”

“This is simply outrageous! I’m just going on tour, I’m not a terrorist.”

The US has recently launched the controversial “Trump Gold Card” visa programme, under which a donation of US$1 million grants permanent residency. Yet a separate, newly proposed traveller-screening measure announced at the same time has sparked even fiercer backlash online — even before it has been implemented.

On 10 December, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to require foreign visitors to submit their social media records from the past five years. The proposed rule would apply to all 42 countries and territories that are part of the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP), including most European allies such as the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, as well as Asia-Pacific partners like Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

Currently, citizens of these countries need only obtain authorisation through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) before departure to enter the US visa-free for up to 90 days, a process that is relatively simple and straightforward. Under the new proposal, however, they may be subjected to unprecedented digital scrutiny — not merely a review of their accounts, but a review of their online history.

According to a notice issued by the DHS, social media information will be changed from an optional item to a mandatory requirement, becoming a core component of entry screening.

Under the proposed rules, citizens of visa-waiver countries applying for ESTA would not only have to disclose their social media usage over the past five years, but also submit additional personal information where practicable. This includes all email addresses used over the past ten years, phone numbers used in the past five years, as well as the names, dates of birth, places of birth, and places of residence of their parents, spouse, siblings, and children. In addition, applicants would be required to upload a selfie photo for facial recognition and identity verification.

In response to the proposed social media screening plan, Trump said, “We want safety. We want security. We want to make sure we’re not letting the wrong people come into our country.” He added that he is not concerned that the measures would affect the US tourism industry.

In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, Professor Todd Belt, director of the Masters of Political Management Program at George Washington University (GWU), noted that inbound tourist numbers to the US have plummeted. “I don’t think that Trump doesn’t want tourists, I think this is just an over-zealous response to the National Guard troop attack from a few weeks ago.”

On 26 November 2025, two National Guard members were shot in Washington, DC. The gunman was an Afghan national who had entered the US in 2021 under the Afghan resettlement programme launched by then president Joe Biden. Following the shooting, Trump declared that the US would permanently halt migration from all Third World countries.

Belt noted: “The main problem with the social media policy is that it is for ESTA visitors from countries with whom the US already has good relations, so it does not seem to make sense.”

Previously, such scrutiny was largely limited to specific countries or regions, or to visa categories considered to carry higher security risks.

“This could strain relations between the US and its close allies, who may view the measure as a potential security risk and could trigger the reciprocal vetting of American tourists.”

The plan to review the social media records of citizens from visa-waiver countries will undergo a 60-day public consultation period, followed by further review by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If approved, it could take effect as early as 8 February 2026.

Although the new rules have not yet been implemented, the US government’s intentions have already drawn widespread international attention and strong reactions. 

Bethany Allen, head of China investigations and analysis at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, pointed out that the move by the Trump administration was more restrictive than China’s border policies, saying on X that “even China doesn’t do this”.

Senator Patty Murray, a top Democrat from Washington state, criticised the proposal on X: “It would be easier to just ban tourism. Who besides Stephen Miller is asking for this?”

Cracking down on immigration is one of Trump’s core campaign promises, and White House deputy chief of staff and homeland security adviser Stephen Miller is the chief architect of the administration’s hardline immigration policies. The Guardian recently published a commentary stating that Miller is turning the US State Department into an “anti-immigration machine”.

Following his White House return, Trump continues to tighten US immigration policies as both applicants to and holders of all visa categories face enhanced screening. In June 2025, the US government requested all foreign students and visiting academics to change their social media settings to “public” for consular officials to vet; from 15 December 2025, H-1B specialty occupation visa applicants and their dependent H-4 visa applicants are subjected to such social media screening; from 1 January 2026, the number of countries whose nationals are subjected to total or partial entry restrictions increased from 19 to 40.

Since Trump’s return to the White House, his administration has steadily tightened immigration policies and intensified scrutiny of various visa applicants and visa holders. From June 2025, the US began requiring foreign students and exchange visitors to set their social media accounts to public so that consular officers can review them. From 15 December 2025, social media records of applicants for the H-1B high-skilled work visa and the related H-4 visas for their family members were also brought under mandatory review. From 1 January 2026, the number of countries subject to full or partial US entry restrictions expanded from 19 to 40.

US industry groups are increasingly concerned that the Trump administration’s trade war and tightening of immigration policies will affect international travel to the US. They had been hoping that the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June/July, co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, would help drive a recovery in tourism. FIFA estimates that up to seven million people will attend matches in person. According to reports, fans from 212 countries and territories have already purchased more than one million tickets, many of them from visa-waiver countries.

The US Travel Association, which represents airlines, hotels and travel agencies, has issued warnings that such policies could deter people around the world from travelling to the US. “Millions of travellers could take their business and the billions of dollars they spend elsewhere, only making America weaker.”

There are also concerns that the new rules would allow the US government to track every visitor entering the country at will. Nearly all non-citizens attempting to enter or remain in the US could be subject to indefinite social media monitoring by the US authorities.

Scholars argue that the measure is unlikely to be effective in screening out bad actors and instead infringes on travellers’ personal privacy. Even visitors whose social media activity raises no red flags could still face lengthy approval processes and long waiting times.

Geiguen Shin, a professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration at Rutgers University, told Newsweek that “while the government has a legitimate interest in vetting travellers who could pose serious threats, social media data are notoriously difficult to interpret — often laden with irony, cultural nuance, and political context that resist straightforward analysis”.

In addition, broad screening of large volumes of data could generate a high number of false positives and increase administrative workloads, while those intent on concealing risks can simply adjust their online behaviour. “From a policy design standpoint, the key question is whether this measure achieves an appropriate balance between security objectives, administrative feasibility, and the United States’ broader commitment to openness and fair treatment of visitors.”

On 10 December 2025, the US government officially launched the Trump Gold Card visa programme, offering foreign nationals seeking US residency a high-priced fast-track pathway.

At this stage, the programme offers only one option — the Trump Gold Card. Applicants must pay an application fee of US$15,000 and make a donation of US$1 million, demonstrating that they can make a substantive contribution to the US. In return, they are granted permanent residency, allowed to live and work in the US, and eventually become eligible for citizenship. Both the fee and the donation are non-refundable.

Unlike the existing EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, the Gold Card does not require applicants to create a specified number of jobs or invest in US businesses. Nor does it subject applicants to the years-long, protracted vetting process faced by regular green card applicants.

According to the official application website, Trumpcard.gov, the process takes only a few weeks after submission.

Trump said: “Basically, it’s a Green Card, but much better. Much more powerful, a much stronger path… Have to be great people.”

There is also a corporate version of the Gold Card, which allows companies to fast-track visas for their employees, with a required donation of US$2 million per employee. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick revealed that some 10,000 people have already signed up for the gold card during a pre-registration period. He estimates that thousands of cards could eventually be sold, raising billions or tens of billions of dollars.

The US government has also proposed a more exclusive Trump Platinum Card, which requires a donation of US$5 million. Cardholders would be allowed to stay in the US for up to 270 days per year and would not be required to pay US taxes on overseas income. However, this visa option has not yet officially opened.

Trump believes the Gold Card visa will help ensure that US companies can retain valuable talent while also generating substantial revenue for federal finances. The Republican president has repeatedly criticised the immigration policies of the previous Biden administration as overly lax, arguing that an influx of low-income migrants has increased social pressures and displaced local workers, while traditional skilled-migration channels are inefficient and poorly matched to economic needs.

With his background as a businessman, Trump argues that high-net-worth migrants not only bring immediate capital inflows and entrepreneurial investment, but also earn higher incomes, contribute more in taxes, and stimulate high-end consumption. According to the Trump administration, the Gold Card visa will allow future immigration to be more precisely aligned with America’s development needs, in line with the core goal to “Make America Great Again” (MAGA).

However, some US Democrats and immigrant-rights advocates have criticised the programme for unfairly favouring the wealthy, arguing that it effectively amounts to “citizenship for sale”.

The programme, which was rapidly launched by bypassing Congress, has also drawn scepticism from legal experts.

Shira Levine, who was dismissed by the Trump administration in 2025 and is now deputy legal director at the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, pointed out that the Gold Card visa not only circumvents normal legal procedures, but that the government has also failed to take steps to ensure the public receives accurate information or access to proper legal advice. She told US news website Axios: “We’ve created a system where people don’t know what the law is and everyone has to guess — what the Trump admin and his appointees say the rule is, rather than what it actually is.”

On its part, the Trump administration has claimed that the programme can be implemented through existing channels and does not require new legislation.

Under the US constitution, while a sitting president has broad executive authority over immigration, the creation of new visa categories or residency pathways requires congressional approval. A president may influence immigration through executive orders and policy changes, but Congress retains the ultimate authority to pass or amend immigration laws, including visa programmes.

Because the Gold Card visa has raised constitutional concerns, demand for the programme also remains uncertain. For investor migrants, the long-term validity of residency rights is a core consideration, and policy uncertainty could significantly dampen their willingness to invest.

Legal experts warn that if there is a future change in government, the Gold Card visa is highly likely to be revised or even suspended due to legal challenges.

The formal launch of the Gold Card visa and the announcement of the social media screening plan clearly signal the White House’s stance: the country prefers to admit or naturalise wealthy, highly vetted specialists, rather than large numbers of tourists whom the government deems to contribute little to the nation.

GWU’s Professor Belt told Lianhe Zaobao: “It is true that when it comes to longer stays and permanent residents, Trump has definitely stated his preference for people who ‘make instead of take’ — people who have wealth and create jobs versus those who engage in illegal scams of governmental services. So, I think enhanced social media screening has more to do with national security and the gold card visa programme has more to do with Trump’s vision of making the nation wealthier.”

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “要看自由女神 你得牺牲点自由？”.

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