"immigration officials determined $1m would be necessary"
And there we go, minions in power disregard the law and set their own criteria.
That is exactly where the USA has gone wrong : letting minor government officials reign supreme without any recourse. That is exactly how a corrupt regime displays itself.
If the limit is $220 000, you little scribbler have no authority to decide that it is suddenly $1 million in a specific case.
But they did it, and nobody can complain about it.
And you still call yourself a democracy ?