Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) reportedly pitched wealthy Chinese to invest in Montana through the EB-5 visa program, which has been criticized for not producing jobs and being rampant with fraud.
The National Review obtained a video that was purportedly part of a 2015 trade delegation of Chinese companies considering purchasing Montana’s exports. The video has a caption that suggests the video is part of an effort to have wealthy Chinese invest in Montana through the EB-5 visa program.
The EB-5 visa program offers foreign nationals permanent residency if they make a minimum investment of $500,000 in an American development project that has been approved by a “regional center,” or a legal entity authorized by the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (CIS).
“The Governor of Montana kindly invites you to participate in this ‘fee schedule’ EB-5 project,” the caption reads.
Bullock, who hopes to unseat Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) in November, presented the proposal as a way to reform the EB-5 visa program.
Olivia Bercow, a Bullock campaign spokeswoman, said:
The EB-5 program is flawed, rewarding big corporations and large American cities with little oversight. Governor Bullock believes the federal EB-5 program needs to be reformed and restricted. To do what it originally intended, the program needs to make sure those living in rural areas don’t get further left behind economically and that people who use this program live in and contribute to the rural communities they have invested in for at least 10 years.
Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.