Melania Trump—the Slovenian-born First Lady—has come under scrutiny this week after her recent visit to a migrant processing centre in Tucson, Arizona.

Her appearance accompanied her husband’s aggressive push to deport undocumented immigrants and build a new Florida migrant centre dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.”

President Trump also recently threatened to “deport” high-profile figures like a Ugandan-born New York mayoral candidate and Elon Musk and won partial backing from the Supreme Court on birthright citizenship restrictions.

Alleged Hypocrisy on Visa Compliance

While praising Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), critics dug into Melania’s own immigration history. It emerged that she moved to the U.S.

in August 1996 on a B‑1/B‑2 visitor visa, which explicitly prohibits paid employment. Yet, between August and October, she earned approximately $20,056 as a model—most notably for Camel cigarettes—before securing an H-1B work visa.

Although she later adjusted her status—receiving the H-1B, then a green card, and eventually U.S. citizenship in 2006—she technically broke immigration laws for seven weeks. Detractors were quick to highlight the contradiction:

“Melania Trump broke immigration law when she first came to the US in 1996 by entering the country on a tourist visa and then illegally working as a professional model. Today she publicly thanked ICE for rounding immigrants in Tucson.”

Social Media Outrage and Calls for Action

Social media users pointed to a double standard, especially amid the administration’s strict deportation stance:

“Why hasn’t she been deported!!!”

“She worked under a visitor visa and that’s illegal. Why others have to go back while she gets a pass.”

“Melania Trump came to the USA in 1996 on a tourist visa … She overstayed her visa. Donald Trump pulled some strings so that she was able to stay in our country.”

Some critics extended their ire:

“Melanie should be deported,” one Reddit user wrote.

“And so should Musk,” added another, referencing the accusation that both gained citizenship through “false information.”

“How do we turn them into ICE?” a third demanded.