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Visa Program Abused by China to Support Hillary Clinton, Democratic Candidates: What the Book Claims and What We Know
In January 2026, a conservative news report highlighted claims from investigative journalist Peter Schweizer’s book The Invisible Coup: How American Elites and Foreign Powers Use Immigration as a Weapon, asserting that a long‑standing U.S. visa program was allegedly abused by foreign investors — particularly Chinese nationals — to funnel money into Democratic Party political campaigns, including ones tied to Hillary Clinton and other Democratic candidates.
The allegation has ignited fresh debate over immigration policy, foreign influence in U.S. politics, campaign finance laws, and the integrity of federal visa programs — raising questions about what actually happened, where claims are based on documented evidence, and where they remain disputed or unverified.
This blog post examines:
What visa program is at the center of the claims
The historical and legal context
What Schweizer’s book asserts
What official records say
Where disagreements and uncertainties remain
Why this matters for immigration, election ethics, and public trust
The Federal Visa Program at the Center: EB‑5 Immigrant Investor Visa
The visa program under discussion is the EB‑5 Immigrant Investor Program, established by Congress in 1990 as part of an effort to encourage foreign investment and job creation in the United States. Under the program, foreign nationals who invest at least $1.05 million (or $800,000 in targeted employment areas) and create at least 10 permanent full‑time jobs for U.S. workers can qualify for lawful permanent resident status (a green card).
The policy rationale behind EB‑5 was economic: to channel foreign capital into U.S. job‑creating ventures. Over time, it evolved to include regional center designations that make it easier for investors to pool capital into large infrastructure or development projects. That structure, critics argue, has also made EB‑5 vulnerable to misuse, fraud, and political influence.
The Book’s Claim: Abuse of EB‑5 to Support Political Campaigns
According to The Invisible Coup, the EB‑5 program’s design — which links foreign capital to permanent resident status — provided opportunities for wealthy Chinese investors associated with political activities to gain access to the U.S. and to participate in political fundraising activities typically prohibited to foreign nationals. The report claims:
Key figures in the mid‑1990s Clinton fundraising controversies — including Maria Hsia and John Huang — had ties to Chinese networks and later became associated with Democratic campaign fundraising.
A Senate investigation from that era identified Hsia as an agent of the Chinese government who concealed affiliations while organizing political contributions.
