This is insane. I cannot fathom how I, nor educated and talented people I know, could have possibly stayed in the US back in the day if this requirement had been in place then. Applying for a greencard while working on an H, J or O-class visa is extremely common. Far from a loophole, applying from inside the US is the only reasonable way to apply for a greencard. Depending on the country of origin, there may not even…
"intentionally malevolent" -> Stephen Miller's second name. The cruelty is and always was the point.
All because he was a massive loser in middle/high school, and like most bigots, his hatred is rooted in needing to have someone "beneath" him. So he based his entire personality and life around hating anyone not straight, white, male, and "American" so he could feel better about himself.
It is amazing how many people have been killed from all the policies he's been ramming through, simply because of a huge inferiority complex.
It's also a bit sad how every generation of immigrants turn around and pull the ladder up behind them.