On July 28, Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks filed an amendment to H.R. 4505, the Commerce Justice Science (CJS) Appropriations bill. Brooks amendment would block funding for the EB-5 visa regional center program
This regional center program is routinely abused by Chinese nationals who use it to buy American citizenship. The program was supposed to end on June 30, but Brook’s amendment will guarantee that the program is defunded even if Democrats succeed in renewing the program’s authorization.
Congressman Brooks stated, “The EB-5 program is fraught with abuse. It is nothing more than a citizenship buying program used overwhelmingly by wealthy and well-connected Chinese nationals. In fact, most qualifying investments end up supporting real estate projects in affluent urban areas, not in economically distressed cities as the program originally intended. This program is one of many U.S. immigration programs that do little to benefit America, and it should be eliminated. American citizenship should not be for sale.”
Brooks’ website provided some context to what the EB-5 regional center program entails:
The EB-5 regional center program provided a method for eligible expedited citizenship for families of alien investors who put up a minimum of $900,000 (the previous minimum was $500,000) in a private-sector investment that has been identified by the Department of Homeland Security. Chinese developers use this program to fund their own building projects in the U.S. and also buy U.S. citizenship.
If the US is serious about taking on China, it should do everything possible to limit its ability to project power via immigration. Republicans will need to get serious about cracking down on legal immigration as well. It’s ultimately a geopolitical tool that has been exploited by great powers and ascendant great powers (case in point: “The Long Arm of Ankara and Turkey’s ability to spread its influence across Europe) to broaden their influence at their host nation’s expense.
Brook’s measure is a common sense way to prevent China from establishing a Fifth Column in the US that could see CCP princelings carve up special economic zones in America that don’t benefit regular citizens. This and an immigration moratorium are long overdue.
