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She was pretty. Beautiful, some said. Already a model at 16, she was catching eyes.
But options in her native country were limited. Like many before her, she looked across the ocean toward a land of opportunity.
At 26, she came to America on a tourist visa, determined to make her way. She was offered a modeling job. Her visa didn’t allow her to work — only to look for work. But when she got her big chance, what was she supposed to do? Risk losing it because of — paperwork?
She was disciplined, worked long hours. Modeling earned her tens of thousands of dollars in a matter of months. More, it opened doors. She attended exclusive parties, met well-connected people.
After that, she did earn a visa — through the EB-1 program. EB-1s are the so-called “Einstein visas,” designed for applicants with “extraordinary ability” to make “substantial contributions” to this country.
Meanwhile, her agent had introduced her to a very wealthy man who left his wife to marry her. After their son was born, she was granted citizenship. She was a devoted daughter, so she brought her parents here and helped them become permanent U.S. residents.
True, she hadn’t played by the rules. But she had achieved the American Dream, and her family was together. That was the important thing.
Her husband, as readers may have guessed, is Donald J. Trump. He fights daily to deport illegal immigrants, while his First Lady rests easy, knowing the law will not be applied to her.
After all, she’s white.
P.S.: The facts of Melania’s immigration history are easily found via Google searches. The information above came from AP News, BBC News and Reuters.
Susanne Weil
Onalaska
