Gold cards and iron fists: Trump woos billionaires while cracking down on migrants

President Donald Trump launched TrumpCard.gov, an official portal inviting individuals to register interest in a new luxury visa programme. “Thousands of people are calling, asking how they can sign up to begin the beautiful journey to the greatest country and market in the world,” Trump said in a social media post.

Trump recently announced a residency programme, dubbed the “Trump Card”, designed to offer a premium pathway to U.S. citizenship for wealthy foreigners. But this development comes amid a backdrop of intensifying immigration crackdowns and civil unrest, with cities across the country protesting what critics call an increasingly authoritarian approach to migration and dissent.

Although the visas are not yet available, the website encourages applicants to leave their name, preferred visa category, and email address under the bold headline: “The Trump Card is Coming.”

First announced in April aboard Air Force One, where Trump held up a golden prototype featuring his own likeness, the programme was framed as a tool for deficit reduction and job creation. He promised availability “in less than two weeks” and later suggested that up to one million cards could be sold. The president did not exclude Russian oligarchs as potential beneficiaries.

The card is pitched as a premium version of the green card – a fast-track to permanent residency and, ultimately, citizenship. “It will be a path to highly valued American citizenship,” Trump stated.

But while the administration courts capital from abroad, it is also deploying military force at home in a sweeping campaign against undocumented migrants, a campaign that has triggered legal battles, widespread protests, and accusations of human rights abuses.

A tale of two immigration systems

The dichotomy is glaring: a system where billionaires are welcomed with golden cards while impoverished migrants face detention by masked agents. In Los Angeles, more than 1,000 demonstrators have taken to the streets to protest mass arrests of undocumented foreigners, in scenes that recall past civil rights confrontations.

Although the protests have largely remained peaceful, there have been sporadic clashes, including stone-throwing, car fires, and vandalism. In response, the city has been placed under curfew for consecutive nights since 7 June.

“The curfew remains in place tonight to stop bad actors taking advantage of the president’s chaotic escalation,” wrote Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass on social media.

President Trump, defying the wishes of California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, ordered the deployment of 4,000 reservists from the California National Guard and 700 active-duty U.S. Marines to Los Angeles which is an unprecedented mobilisation for domestic immigration enforcement.

Trump’s immigration crackdown: a divisive record amid Los Angeles protests

This decision has provoked a high-stakes political standoff. Newsom, widely seen as a potential 2028 presidential candidate, has denounced the deployments as federal overreach. “Democracy is under attack before our eyes,” he said, urging federal courts to block the military action.

General Scott Sherman, who commands the operation, stated that 1,000 National Guard members are currently protecting buildings and assisting federal immigration officers (ICE). The Marines are still undergoing training and deployment procedures, he added.

Despite the heavy-handed response, demonstrations continue not only in California but nationwide. In Spokane, Washington – a city of 230,000 – the mayor’s office declared a curfew from 9:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. following renewed protests.

Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas also deployed the National Guard in San Antonio ahead of a protest gathering, though hundreds still rallied peacefully near city hall.

Protests against what activists describe as a “two-tiered immigration policy” were reported in New York, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Raleigh, and Denver. Critics argue that while the Trump administration is monetising access to citizenship for the rich, it is criminalising it for the poor.

A nation polarised

The crackdown and the golden visa initiative will converge symbolically on 14 June – Trump’s 79th birthday, when Washington will host an unusual military parade marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. On the same day, a grassroots coalition called No Kings is planning coordinated protests in hundreds of cities.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt insisted that the president’s measures are necessary: “Donald Trump will never allow street law to rule America.” The president himself defended the military deployments, stating, “Don’t forget – if I wasn’t there… Los Angeles would have burned.”

But for many observers, the juxtaposition is telling: a government offering golden visas to foreign billionaires while arresting migrants with no papers, deploying federal troops against peaceful protestors, and silencing local resistance.

As immigration becomes both a business opportunity and a battleground, Trump’s dual strategy – open doors for the ultra-rich, locked gates for the undocumented, is fuelling a national confrontation over the meaning of citizenship, sovereignty, and democracy itself.

Caption: The California National Guard stands in front of the Federal Building during protests sparked by immigration raids in Los Angeles, California, USA, 10 June 2025. [EPA/ALLISON DINNER]