Grassley warns DHS of possible visa abuse by the Kushner family

In a letter to DHS Secretary John Kelly, Grassley called on the Trump administration to affirm to him that no one is getting special treatment following comments from the sister of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser.

The New York Times reported that Nicole Meyer, Kushner’s sister, told wealthy Chinese investors over the weekend to consider investing $500,000 in a pair of apartment towers Kushner Companies is planning to build in Jersey City because of her connection to the White House.

The project, Meyer said to the room in Shanghai, “means a lot to me and my entire family.”

The event was organized by both a Beijing-based immigration services company and Kushner Cos. According to The LA Times, the development project is seeking $150 million from 300 foreign investors.

But in his letter to DHS, Grassley said it’s inappropriate to use the EB-5 visa program this way. The program grants investors visas if they invest more than $500,000 in the U.S.

“As you know, EB-5 applicants ordinarily wait at least two years for a petition to be processed and for visas to become available,” Grassley wrote. “Ms. Meyer’s statements, however, could seem to imply that foreign nationals who invest with the Kushner Company will receive special treatment and expedited approval.”

“It is appropriate for the department to clarify and affirm that no foreign investors will receive preferential treatment, that applications will be processed in the order in which they are received — subject to any existing backlog — and that future applications will be subject to the proposed regulations, when approved,” Grassley added.

Roughly 10,000 EB-5 visas can be authorized per year. State Department data shows that since 2012, at least 70 percent of the visas granted every year are given to nationals from China.

Grassley pushed for Kelly to “move expeditiously” in approbate regulations proposed by former President Barack Obama.