U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz will speak at an EB-5 investment industry gathering co-sponsored by Related Companies in late July, according to the event’s website.
The news comes as Jared Kushner, senior adviser and son-in-law of President Trump, is under fire for his family company’s use of the controversial visa program.
The conference, dubbed 2017 San Francisco EB-5 & Investment Immigration Convention, bills itself as a meeting of EB-5 agents, immigration attorneys and developers. Its sponsors include Related — which has used EB-5 funds for its Hudson Yards development and runs its own regional center — as well as real estate investment firm Lennar International. Since January 2015, Related has spent at least $1.4 million on immigration-related lobbying, more than double any other user of the program, the Wall Street Journal reported.