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“Melania, the First Lady, a model, and when I’m talking about model, I don’t mean Tyra Banks, Cindy Crawford, or Naomi Campbell-level, applied for and was given an EB-1 visa,” she added. “And what that stands for is an Einstein visa.”
Not content to leave it there, Crockett—apparently unaware she was wading into deep water—tried to lecture the committee on immigration policy and the qualifications required for such a visa.
“Now, y’all that don’t know, let me tell you how you receive an Einstein visa. 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,” she stated.
WATCH:
“Last time I checked, the first lady had none of those accolades under her belt. It doesn’t take an Einstein to see that the math ain’t mathin’ here.”
But her theatrical performance crumbled fast—right there in the hearing room. Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration expert from the Cato Institute who was testifying at the hearing, jumped in with a retort so sharp it drew laughter.
“Not everybody could marry Donald Trump, and I think that’s quite an achievement, so I think she deserves credit for that. Nobody up here could have done it!”
Crockett shot back, confirming she wasn’t volunteering for that particular job. “You sure are right, I couldn’t have done it.”
Melania Trump, who arrived in the U.S. in 1996 on a tourist visa before transitioning to a work visa as her modeling career blossomed in New York, secured her EB-1 visa in 2001—four years prior to marrying Donald Trump.
The EB-1, sometimes dubbed the “Einstein visa,” is indeed intended for individuals with “extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics through sustained national or international acclaim.” However, as real immigration attorneys know, “extraordinary ability” encompasses more than just Nobel laureates or Pulitzer Prize winners. The law requires that applicants satisfy at least three out of ten specific criteria, including:
- Evidence of receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence
- Evidence of your membership in associations in the field which demand outstanding achievement of their members
- Evidence of published material about you in professional or major trade publications or other major media
- Evidence that you have been asked to judge the work of others, either individually or on a panel
- Evidence of your original scientific, scholarly, artistic, athletic, or business-related contributions of major significance to the field
- Evidence of your authorship of scholarly articles in professional or major trade publications or other major media
- Evidence that your work has been displayed at artistic exhibitions or showcases
- Evidence of your performance of a leading or critical role in distinguished organizations
- Evidence that you command a high salary or other significantly high remuneration in relation to others in the field
- Evidence of your commercial successes in the performing arts
Crockett’s entire grandstanding routine unraveled even further after a 2018 New York Times article resurfaced and spread like wildfire online. The Times, hardly a bastion of conservative defense, had interviewed several immigration lawyers about Melania’s so-called “Einstein visa”—and most agreed she likely met the requirements.
For instance, Marshall Cohen, an immigration attorney in Atlanta specializing in EB-1 cases, told the Times he’d have accepted Melania 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.”
“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.”
So while Rep. Crockett may believe her barbs scored political points, the facts—and even the liberal media—suggest otherwise. Melania Trump’s immigration path might not fit the cartoonish narrative Democrats want to paint, but it’s one that passed legal muster under existing law.
Once again, Democrats took a swing at the Trumps and missed spectacularly—and the internet made sure Jasmine Crockett’s misfire won’t be forgotten anytime soon.
