Aaron Reichlin-Melnick Profile picture
Sep 24, 2020 10 tweets 4 min read Read on X
Under DHS's new proposed rule, if you were born in, or are a citizen of, one of the countries on this map, you would be banned from getting a four-year degree in the United States, with a student visa limited to two years maximum.

The thread has all the countries.
Rather than have people dig through the threads to get to the original rationale, here's the relevant provision I built this map off of.

The vast majority of these countries would be banned from 4-year-degrees based on this overstay provision.

It's collective punishment.
Here's a thread I did on some of the other changes made by the rule, which was published this morning.

People who want to oppose the rule will be able to provide comments in opposition to the rule, starting tomorrow and lasting through 10/25/2020.

Here's the best example I can give for why collective punishment based on visa overstay rates is arbitrary and cruel.

In 2019, six students from Tuvalu were supposed to leave the US. One didn't.

As a result, the visa overstay rate was 17%—meaning all Tuvalans would be punished.
Also, whoops, just realizing I forgot to add Chad to the map. Chad would also be subject to the ban, because they had a student visa/exchange visitor overstay rate over 10% in FY2019.

That completes the band across the middle of Africa.
One final thing to add to this thread; that things are not totally lost if the rule goes into effect.

Students in those situation would be able to ask DHS for an extension of their visas past two years. So that means it's not a total ban.

But those extensions aren't guaranteed.
Putting this here: I maybe should not have used the word "ban." Some people would still be able to get a four-year degree, but would be required to apply to extend their visas repeatedly through their time in college—extensions which aren't guaranteed.
Starting tomorrow morning, people will be able to leave a comment in opposition to this rule at this link. federalregister.gov/documents/2020…
DHS says it's fixing a major problem. But DHS data says just 32,023 people are suspected of overstaying a student/exchange visa in 2019.

And because the rule is based on PERCENT, the countries with the highest NUMBER of overstays (China, India, Brazil, Canada) aren't affected.
Here's why a % threshold is so stupid:

China: 11,030 student/exchange overstays (unaffected by rule)
India: 5,304 (unaffected)
Brazil: 3,177 (unaffected)
Saudi Arabia: 2,983 (unaffected)
South Korea: 2,492 (unaffected)
Japan: 1,418 (unaffected)
...
Tuvalu: 1 (restricted)

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More from @ReichlinMelnick

Jun 13
This funding would make ICE the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the history of the United States, with greater detention capacity than the entire Federal Bureau of Prisons.

It would reshape society, making federal arrests a daily fact of life in every single community.
Personally I think we should not spend enough money to bring every American out of homelessness on rounding up large portions of America's farmworkers, roofers, drywall installers, masons, carpenters, cooks, janitors, and more, all to crash the economy.
Read 9 tweets
Jun 7
The U.S. government is “demanding” that people stop using certain political rhetoric.

That is appalling. The government cannot order people not to speak in ways they don’t like.
Exactly. Threats against judges are up dramatically, and come after DHS and ICE itself have made appalling and prejudicial comments about judges.
Beyond the free speech issues and the hypocrisy, I am actually sympathetic to some of his concerns! Threatening the family of an ICE officer is wrong!

But ICE leadership knew a large backlash was a consequence of these outrageous new operations; and they ordered it anyway.
Read 4 tweets
Jun 1
What infuriates me so much about this operation is that it is literally punishing people for following the rules and showing up to their court hearings. It is so toxic to the basic concept of following the rules. ICE itself is effectively encouraging people to violate the law.
Exactly. People can understand intuitively why this is wrong.

It also literally erases a fair day in court. That’s the entire point of the operation.
First, that’s not what’s happening here, people are having their cases dismissed over their objections.

And second, yes, that’s been the standard for generations where people do not waive appeal. There is by law a 30 day period to appeal before any removal order becomes final.
Read 6 tweets
May 22
🚨ICE arrests continued today at immigration courts nationwide. People showing up for court are being handcuffed in the hallways by ICE officers with lists of names, after ICE prosecutors move to dismiss the case.

Here's what those officers looked in Seattle as they, per @KUOW. Image
Stories are coming in from around the country about these arrests, which have occurred in LA, Miami, SF, Phoenix, Seattle, NYC, Chicago, and other places with immigration courts.

The goal of the Trump admin's efforts are to erase the right to see a judge.
kuow.org/stories/ice-ag…
This new effort by the Trump admin is aimed primarily at people with NO CRIMINAL RECORD. Many entered legally at a port of entry.

These people are seen as low hanging fruit for an admin wanting to juice deportation numbers by skipping the formal court process entirely. Image
Read 10 tweets
May 21
NEW: ICE confirms that it is deporting someone to South Sudan, putting a link to an upcoming press conference on YouTube.

A hearing in Massachusetts begins in an hour. The judge ordered ICE not to transfer custody of a Vietnamese man believed to be on that flight to South Sudan. Image
The link is here. Chief DHS propagandist Tricia McLaughlin is talking now, beginning by emphasizing the serious criminal conduct of the people it has reportedly sent to South Sudan (murder and rape). She says South Sudan agreed to take them. youtube.com/live/p2U8Eh1VF…
McLaughlin called this a "military operation" (bull, it's a private jet contracted by ICE) and calls the men "uniquely violent monsters" and shows 8 pictures. She attacks Judge Murphy, calling him an "activist judge."

Every time she refers to the men, she calls them "monsters."
Read 21 tweets
May 21
🚨UPDATE: In a late-night court hearing, the Trump admin says that it deported the Burmese man to Burma, but is REFUSING to say where they deported the Vietnamese man, claiming it’s classified!

The judge ordered ICE to tell everyone involved they may face criminal contempt. Image
Image
The @nytimes has more details, as they apparently got a reporter in the hearing.

There is reportedly another hearing scheduled for tomorrow morning at 11:00 as a continuation. It seems unlikely Judge Murphy will rule tonight.

nytimes.com/2025/05/20/us/…
@nytimes Here is the section of the article noting the moment when Judge Murphy ordered the DOJ lawyer at the hearing to notify everyone involved, “from the pilot of the plane to officials at the Department of Homeland Security,” that they might face charges of criminal contempt of court. Image
Read 5 tweets

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