Melania Trump's Immigration Journey Speech Mocked

Former first lady Melania Trump is facing backlash online after delivering a speech about facing hardships while immigrating to the United States.

In a rare public appearance at the National Archives Naturalization Ceremony on Friday, the former first lady, a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Slovenia, shared her experience shifting through the complexities of the American immigration process after moving to the U.S. to pursue a modeling career in 1996.

Her address was in front of 25 immigrants from 25 different nations who were sworn in as new U.S. citizens, and Melania applauded the new citizens "for every step you took, every obstacle you overcome, and every sacrifice you made" to obtain citizenship.

"My personal experience of traversing the challenges of the immigration process opened my eyes to the harsh realities people face, including you, who try to become U.S. citizens," she told those in attendance Friday. "Then, of course, there are nuances of understanding the United States immigration laws and the complex legal language contained therein. I was very devoted, but I certainly was not an attorney."

Critics of Melania noted over social media that her husband, former President Donald Trump, has campaigned on promises to crack down on U.S. immigration policies if reelected to office in the 2024 election, a stark contrast to the former first lady's story about how her pathway to citizenship was "arduous."

What Critics Are Saying

"Melania has the audacity to speak of hardship path to citizenship when her husband has criminalized immigration and path to citizenship," wrote author Ann Yonan on X, formerly Twitter.

"Who did Melania plagiarize today? A woman whose husband wants to implement an immigration ban," wrote one X user, referring to when Melania was accused of plagiarizing former first lady Michelle Obama in a speech at the Republican National Convention in July 2016.

Other social media users raised questions about the pathways that Trump and her family used to become U.S. citizens. According to a report by The Washington Post in 2018, Melania received a green card in March 2001 by obtaining a visa that is reserved for "individuals with extraordinary ability," also known as the "Einstein visa." She was sworn in as a U.S. citizen in 2006, shortly after the birth of her and former President Trump's son, Barron.

"Who else thinks @USNatArchives insulted new citizens by having Melania Trump as keynote speaker?" wrote another X user. "She lied on her immigration form to obtain an Einstein Visa. She really doesn't care, but I do!"

In 2018, Melania's parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, were sworn in as citizens through a pathway that former President Trump has repeatedly suggested eliminating. The legal pathway, which Trump has referred to as "chain migration," allows U.S. citizens to sponsor green cards for their relatives, helping their family members obtain residency.

"Did anyone ever interview Melania's immigration lawyer who got her into the US via the 'Einstein Visa' program so she could later 'chain migrate' her parents?" a user wrote to X under a video of the former first lady's speech on Friday. "What exactly was her special talent?"

Michaels Wildes, a self-proclaimed Democrat and the immigration lawyer who represented the former first lady, told The Hill in 2018 that Melania's parents were given no special treatment to become U.S. citizens.

Trump's Immigration Policies

Former President Trump's immigration plans for his second term include reinstating his 2019 "Remain in Mexico" program, restricting immigration from migrants coming from the Middle East and ending automatic U.S. citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants who are born in America.

The former president also told Fox News' Sean Hannity during a recent town hall that he plans to behave like a "dictator" on his first few days in office in order to "close the border" between the U.S. and Mexico.

"[Peter] Baker today in The New York Times, he said that I want to be a dictator. I didn't say that, I said I want to be a dictator for one day," Trump said regarding his comments during a speech at the New York Young Republican Club on December 10. "And you know why I wanted to be a dictator? Because I want a wall, right? I want a wall and I want to drill, drill, drill."

Newsweek reached out to former President Trump's press team for comment.

Praise for Melania's Speech

Several other users on X praised the former first lady's speech, such as Fox News anchor David Asman, who said that Melania's speech pointed to "how difficult but rewarding it is to become a LEGAL citizen, unlike the millions coming in ILLEGALLY."

"Many legal migrants are fed up with [President Joe] Biden's open border policies, and would prefer Trump's merit-based system," Asman added.

Another X user, who goes by the name "johnny maga," also bashed Biden's immigration policies while praising Melania's message.

"Melania Trump gave a speech at the national archives where she said becoming a citizen takes time, stressed the importance of 'guarding freedom' & 'contributing to society,'" the user wrote. "Stark contrast to the Biden admins effort to grant citizenship to tens of millions of foreign invaders."