How Easy Was This?

From today's Tribune-Review Op-Ed page:

Few takers and negligible economic benefits should lead Congress to end the EB-5 program, which essentially sells visas to foreign investors otherwise unable to legally enter the United States.

That's what David North, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies (cis.org), concludes in his study of the program.

Ah...the CIS.

Remember them?  This is what the Southern Poverty Law Center has to say about the CIS:

To make its case seem as strong as possible, CIS often manipulates data, relying on shaky statistics or faulty logic to come to the preordained conclusion that immigration is bad for this country. But CIS studies have been regularly debunked by mainstream academics and think tanks including the Immigration Policy Center, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities and America's Voice.

In this case, they simply misrepresent the facts (at best).

How do I know?  This is what North had to say about the EB-5 program:

The name is EB-5, because it is the fifth class of the employment-based programs for immigrants.The basic arrangement is that the alien—who could not be admitted to the United States under any other circumstance—invests at least half a million dollars. If the money stays invested for two years, he and his family get a collection of green cards.[emphasis added]

Now let's take a look at how the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (the USCIS) has to say about the very same program:

Eligibility Criteria

You may be eligible to receive permanent residence based on investment if:

• You have an approved Form I-526, Immigrant Petition by Alien Entrepreneur
• You are admissible to the United States 
• An immigrant visa is immediately available [emphasis added.]

Yea, I'd say at best that's a misrepresentation.  At worst, it's a blatant lie.

Do I need to point out how much money the Scaife-controlled foundations have given to the CIS?