Rep. Jasmine Crockett Questions How Melania Trump Got an ‘Einstein’ Visa: ‘The Math Ain’t Mathing’

Crockett questioned how, in 2001, the president’s future wife received a visa for immigrants with “extraordinary ability” that’s often reserved for scholars and international award winners

Rep. Jasmine Crockett; First Lady Melania Trump.Credit : Anna Moneymaker/Getty; Chip Somodevilla/Getty

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Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett said President Donald Trump’s immigration policies are hypocritical, given that his wife, Melania, is an immigrant
Crockett also questioned how Melania reportedly received an EB-1 visa, commonly referred to as an “Einstein” visa
EB-1s are intended for immigrants with “extraordinary ability” and international acclaim, and Crockett said “the math ain’t mathin’ ” when it comes to the first lady

Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett took her latest shot at Donald Trump on Wednesday, June 25, implying that the president’s immigration policy is hypocritical, given that his wife, Melania Trump, is an immigrant herself who secured an unusual type of visa for a model after arriving in the States.

“Since we’re talking about integrity, I’m confused as to why my Republican colleagues aren’t talking about the lack of integrity when it comes to the president’s family’s visas,” the Democratic representative said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the visa process.

Melania was born in what is now Slovenia, then Yugoslavia, in 1970. After she was discovered at age 16, ID Models founder and New York businessman Paolo Zampolli sponsored her immigration to the United States. She first worked as a model under an H1-B visa, but it’s been widely reported that she later applied for and was granted an EB-1 visa.

Donald and Melania Trump in 1998.Sonia Moskowitz/Getty

The EB-1 is commonly referred to as an “Einstein” visa, because of who it’s catered to. Per the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website, the visa is intended for immigrants who are “an alien of extraordinary ability, an outstanding professor or researcher, or a certain multinational executive or manager.”

Crockett called Melania’s status into question and criticized her modeling career, saying, “Let me remind y’all that Melania, the first lady, a model — and when I say model, I’m not talking about Tyra Banks, Cindy Crawford or Naomi Campbell-level — applied for and was given an EB-1 visa.”

She explained the criteria by saying, “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 in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics.”

“Last time I checked, the first lady had none of those accolades under her belt,” Crockett added. “It doesn’t take an Einstein to see that the math ain’t mathin’ here.”

Despite its nickname, however, the “Einstein” visa doesn’t require the recipient to have extraordinary intelligence. And, though Crockett’s claim about the ideal recipient is not entirely wrong, no specific award is required to qualify. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services lists three categories for qualification, two of which have multiple possible criteria that an applicant can fulfill.

Ultimately, the final decision is incredibly subjective. The New York Times interviewed several lawyers when digging into Melania’s “Einstein” status in 2018, and most didn’t think her qualifying for an EB-1 was out of the question.

“Recipients are supposed to be the best of the best,” said Rita Sostrin, a Los Angeles-based lawyer. “But meeting the criteria is no guarantee. An adjudication officer makes a judgment call.”

Atlanta lawyer Marshall Cohen, who specializes in EB-1s, said he would have taken Melania on as a client without hesitation.

“I am assuming she made a lot of money, got a lot of press and was on the cover of magazines,” he said. “She was probably a pretty easy case.”

While her modeling career was not extensive, Melania did appear on the cover of British GQ and in other magazines like Sports Illustrated in 2000, the same year she reportedly petitioned for her EB-1. She was also already dating one of the most recognizable businessmen in New York.

“Do we need more foreign fashion models? Some might say no,” Cohen added. “We might need more chemical engineers. But if there is a fashion model at the top of her field, she could qualify.”