Thread by @billybinion

This is Laurens van Beek.

Not long ago, he was kicked out of the U.S.—even though he immigrated here as a child. Legally.

The kicker: If his family had come *illegally* he would've gotten to stay.

A thread on our insane immigration system.

DACA protects some folks from deportation if they arrived in the U.S. illegally as kids. Many recipients do not know any other country but America as home.

Laurens can relate.

But his story diverges in a crucial way: His family came here lawfully. /2

When Laurens was 7, his family immigrated to Iowa. This is his home.

But because his parents came on a small business visa, he didn't qualify for DACA, which only protects the undocumented.

So Laurens was expelled not in spite of coming to the U.S. legally—but because of it. /3

There are 250,000 people like Laurens, known as "Documented Dreamers." They come to the U.S. on dependent visas.

And if they can't find another visa or get a green card by the time they turn 21, they're forced to leave—often to countries they've never known. Monstrous. /4

This is Roshan Taroll with his little brother.

After legally immigrating here with his mom, the family got in line for green cards. But because our system is a circus, Roshan couldn't get one before he turned 21.

So after 16+ years here, he was kicked out last month. /5

It can't be overstated how bonkers our system is. Roshan's case is a good example.

The gov't restricts how many green cards can be allotted annually to each nationality, punishing people from certain countries.

Folks from India will wait...134 years. Many will die in line. /6

Roshan's mom was one of them. She died of cancer after waiting years for permanent residence.

"All she wanted was for me and my brother to work hard and have a chance at the American dream," Roshan told me.

Well, he won't get the chance. Just awful. /7 reason.com/2024/07/08/he-…

A bipartisan group of lawmakers want to protect Documented Dreamers from deportation. It's common sense.

But the bills keep dying in Congress.

"Comprehensive immigration reform has become the enemy of incremental reform," @RandPaul told me: /8 reason.com/2024/07/08/he-…

@RandPaul It's an indictment on our politics that this is still a question.

The folks who came here as kids—whether legally or illegally—had no say in the matter. Many don't even speak the language of their home country.

Wild that we're still debating this. /9 reason.com/2024/07/08/he-…

@RandPaul Politicians talk a big game about immigrating here "the right way." And then the gov't punishes these young people for doing so.

It's not conservative, progressive, libertarian, or otherwise to defend that. Because that's simply indefensible. /end reason.com/2024/07/08/he-…