By Dong Xiaojiao, Zhao Yishen

“Citizenship for sale.”

“American dream got a price tag.”

“U.S. only welcomes the rich.”

Those comments frequented on social media as the Trump administration newly launched a 5-mln-dollar “gold card,” which is seen as a VIP channel for wealthy elites to migrate to the U.S. and serve as a rumored replacement of the existing “green card” program.

For centuries, the United States, a nation forged by immigrants, has thrived as millions flocked to its shores chasing after a promising future, including the U.S. founding fathers, who sought opportunity in the new land.

They proclaimed their belief in the Declaration of Independence that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,” among them “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

However, this legacy has been overshadowed by the issuance of a new “gold card”.

It is reported that over 1000 pieces of such cards have been sold in a single day while another 250,000 people are standing in line to apply, which could help the country to generate over one trillion U.S. dollars to alleviate its ballooning U.S. federal government debt.

By contrast, desperate refugees have been turned away at the U.S.-Mexico border, skilled workers wait years for visas, and undocumented workers who have built their lives in the U.S. remain in constant fear of deportation, while those with big wallets can just buy their way into America.

The money-for-citizenship scheme epitomized the hypocrisy of a nation, which claims itself to be founded on the principles of freedom, rights, and the merit and performance-based immigration.

Once the American Dream turns into a luxury commodity, it’s hard to imagine that, one day, the Statue of Liberty will only smile to the rich and turn a cold shoulder to those who are really contributing to the well-being of this nation.

There is no doubt that, for a mercantilist government, everything can be sold with a price tag, including its citizenship.

Cartoon design by Wei Xinyue, Tian Ming

编辑：呼乐乐