Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

wsj.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

941–950 of 1001 posts

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#941

Post by ModernMech »

orsenthil wrote: post #860

I see a lot of comments in this thread in support this stance, as if that is something good for Americans, and say it is not a political statement. One thing that changed my viewpoint was this book. Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Anne Case, and Angus Deaton. In it, they make a point that, almost all US economists agree that immigration, both legal and Illegal Immigration, is not the cause for Ameri…

For anyone here who supports this, just go back into their post history and see what they said about DOGE and whether they thought that was also a good and prudent idea.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#942

Post by ipsod »

FeepingCreature wrote: post #695
thaumasiotes wrote: post #666

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is democracy in action. The majority (of those who care enough at all) get to rule over the minority (and the apathetic). I've always been confused about how "democracy" is good, but "tyranny of the majority" is bad.

Well, for one you're not supposed to use a majority vote to abolish democracy, or mess with unalienable rights. You can think of it as "democracy with precommitment".

In other words, it's not democracy, it's a democratic republic. The democracy is constrained by the constitution.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#943

Post by dzonga »

yodsanklai wrote: post #347
sinecure wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was never about talent. It's about companies hiring foreigners on h1b visas at below market wages where their life in the USA is contingent on their job performance forcing them to work harder and longer than their peers to remain in the country. It's a situation that only benefits companies, while harming US citizens who have to compete with the lower wages of foreigners.

I work in a global company. As an interviewer, I don't even know if the person I interview is a US citizen. I don't even know if they live in the US or another country, and I'm probably not allowed to ask. I just rate their performance. And everybody is paid the same. I think the situation is quite simple. Companies want the best candidates they can get, and the larger the recruitment pool, the better. If tomorrow yo…

bingo. capital, talent has no borders.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#944

Post by jimmydoe »

ciconia wrote: post #721

26 years ago I was a post-graduate student in the US, I arrived a couple months before the 9/11 attacks. The current US government, beyond its idiocy and incompetence, is just so hostile, not only to immigrants but also to its own citizens, so it seems. If I were to go study in another country today, the US would simply not be an option.

we are stuck where we are.

imo even H1B didn't change, I wouldn't go all the way to study in a country that kills so many people abroad senselessly.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#945

Post by gwbas1c »

> ...and seek to prevent foreigners from traveling to the U.S. to give birth.

FYI: It doesn't come up in the news often, but birth tourism is a real phenomenon. A lot of rich people in poorer countries travel to the US to have their child, and their child goes home with a US passport, or is raised by relatives.

Leaving the child with relatives, (or otherwise allowing an American family to adopt the child,) doesn't bother me, but going home with a US passport does.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#946

Post by hallgrim »

cingley wrote: post #841

That doesn't sound too bad, it just means that workers who would otherwise have migrated to the US can enrich their home countries, or other countries they are more easily able to migrate too. From an economic point of view this may well end up being a positive policy decision for both sides.

“Hey, I disinvite you from my board game nights, so now your apartment can delight in your prolonged presence!”

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#947

Post by techblueberry »

unselect5917 wrote: post #482
tayo42 wrote: post #414

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no real Us culture to preserve.

>There's no real Us culture to preserve. Fish Fails to Detect Water The easiest way to see it is look at Japanese portrayals (outsider perspective). Cowboys, horses, guns, pride in our military and our free speech, fireworks and BBQs. Just because you look down on the culture doesn't mean there isn't one.

I’m think the weird irony is - and your example may exemplify this - a lot of the culture the right may want to preserve might be improved through immigration.

If you want more religious conservatism and traditional values, Americans are naturally moving away from that. Americans aren’t creating a whole lot of cowboy movies. China is innovating in fireworks.

David brooks has specifically called out this nihilism of the modern right. I think people attributing intention to policies like this are sadly externalizing their own values into an administration that doesn’t have them.

Because I think nobody is unified in this stuff. The people representing the culture you purport to imply a desire to preserve I don’t think agree with you, and certainly not with each other.

This is like Cracker Barrel all over again where most of the liberals I know loved Cracker Barrel and all the conservatives complaining about it almost to a one never went!

The sad truth is there is some sense things might be better if you were right.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#948

Post by jimmydoe »

vjvjvjvjghv wrote: post #335

My company has a H-1B guy that travelled home to India a few months ago and since then can't come back because the next date he can get with the US embassy is next year. Seems he may get stuck even longer... I am to some degree on board with keeping a closer eye on immigration, but the way the current administration does it feels intentionally cruel. The guy at my company has a house, wife, and kids in the US; his vi…

between this and fdr's japanese internment order, there're still a lot room to go crueler.

every foreign-born, myself included, should get ready.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#949

Post by arcbyte »

aprilthird2021 wrote: post #737
itake wrote: post #554

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have opinions about them sending their salary back home. Obviously its better for the USA if the money stayed in the USA, but "earning money in one locality and spending it another" is really really really situation, even in the USA. American Police officers are famous for not actually living in the cities they work in. In each country I have lived in, I was a guest. With that knowledge, I carefully designed…

These people are productive members of our society who enrich our country and our economy. The idea that they are guests we are hosting is absurd

A siblings commenter stated this opinion much more persuasively for me. When these people arrive here, they are absolutely guests. It's incontrovertible that they are guests. Theres no debate.

However, time is important and after a certain amount of time or perhaps even connection made to the community, a person does move from guest to neighbor.

Re: U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications

#950

Post by hdgvhicv »

dijksterhuis wrote: post #809
ifwinterco wrote: post #698

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not at the moment, but the result of the current UK system has been huge uncontrolled levels of immigration leading to deep public resentment, so that may change in the future

couple of notes — 1a. Illegal immigration has nothing to do with visa based, legal immigration. illegal immigration is the type of immigration people are upset about here in the UK. most people have no problem with legal migration. 1b. anyone claiming the UK’s legal migration is any sort of problem right now, or in the past, should probably not be listened to in any way shape or form for anything they have to say on…

Reform take peoples concerns about the massive increase in population numbers and the knock on effects of housing and infrastructure, and cultural clash since we swapped eu immigration for sub Saharan and South Asian, and point it to the small boats.

I have no problem with refugees. I do have problem with a million people a year arriving through Heathrow. Farage and co want that though as it’s good for business (more workers, higher asset prices) so they blame it on the tiny numbers of small boats.

Brexit meant we swapped immigration of mostly like minded Europeans and temporary workers for permanent immigration from poorer countries with more medieval views.

I’m fairly left on the spectrum, I was door stepping for remain, and for Lib Dems in 2017,2019 and a by-election, I’m very much on the tax wealth not work side, and I have no problem in paying tax despite earning more than 90% of the people in the county, including the old folk who just keep taking and never paying.

But it seems I’m not left enough because I have a problem with the massive amounts of legal immigration under a populist right wing government and I should be sent to a gulag.

Post reply on HN