A new book by author and investigative journalist Peter Schweizer examines the history of the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) visa program and its potential vulnerabilities related to campaign finance and foreign influence during past U.S. elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon<\/em>, Schweizer argues that aspects of the EB-5 program may have created opportunities for improper political donations, particularly during the 1990s. The book focuses on how the program was structured and how it intersected with campaign finance controversies that emerged during that period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue reading on next page\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n The EB-5 visa program was established by Congress in 1990 to encourage foreign investment and job creation in the United States. Under the program, foreign nationals may qualify for lawful permanent residency by investing a minimum amount of capital\u2014either $1.05 million, or $800,000 in designated employment areas\u2014and creating at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the book, individuals involved in promoting the EB-5 program later became linked to campaign finance investigations during the 1996 election cycle. Schweizer references Maria Hsia and John Huang, who were active in political fundraising at the time. A Senate investigation later concluded that Hsia had undisclosed ties to the Chinese government, while Huang pleaded guilty in 1999 to conspiracy charges related to campaign finance violations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book also revisits the case of James Riady, whose family business was connected to donation violations during the same era. Following those revelations, the Democratic Party returned more than $1 million in contributions associated with the controversy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schweizer\u2019s research suggests that the EB-5 program may have enabled permanent residents\u2014who are legally permitted to donate to political campaigns\u2014to act as intermediaries for foreign funds, which is prohibited under U.S. campaign finance law. The book cites the case of Danhong \u201cJean\u201d Chen, an EB-5 visa facilitator whose business made political donations before she and her husband were charged with identity theft and visa fraud. Authorities later reported that Chen had left the country prior to her arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book also notes that a significant portion of EB-5 investors historically came from China, and that some marketing materials for EB-5 projects highlighted access to political figures, raising questions about ethics and transparency. Schweizer argues that these practices could pose national security and regulatory concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schweizer also references campaign donations received during Hillary Clinton\u2019s 2008 presidential primary campaign from individuals connected to New York City\u2019s Chinatown area. Past reporting indicated that some donors lived in distressed housing conditions, prompting further scrutiny at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The book states that investigators later examined whether community organizations had encouraged political contributions and whether some of those groups had links to organizations affiliated with China\u2019s United Front Work Department, which Beijing uses for international outreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schweizer raises questions about how China\u2019s strict limits on outbound capital transfers\u2014generally capped at $50,000 per year per citizen\u2014coexisted with large EB-5 investments, suggesting enforcement gaps. He also notes concerns raised by critics regarding foreign participation in infrastructure projects connected to the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The author concludes that reforms may be necessary to ensure transparency, compliance with campaign finance laws, and national security safeguards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a separate development, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to advance two resolutions related to subpoenas issued to former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as part of an investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein\u2019s network and connections to public officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The subpoenas, issued by a subcommittee in July 2025, seek testimony related to whether federal agencies adequately pursued leads connected to Epstein\u2019s activities. The investigation remains ongoing, and no findings have been announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new book by author and investigative journalist Peter Schweizer examines the history of the Employment-Based Fifth Preference (EB-5) visa…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8557"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8559,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8557\/revisions\/8559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tbdig.com\/sirbenet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Background on the EB-5 Visa Program<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Campaign Finance Concerns Raised in the Book<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Donations and Community Organizations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Broader Policy Questions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Separate Congressional Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n