The events of the last couple of days have shown me that many ‘nice’, not Republican people want to see where on the pecking order they can place immigrants.

Adrianna Tan

@aud lol and I got to it by seeing people post here, agreeing with him

Prof. Catherine Flick

@skinnylatte not in the U.S. but I dealt with the UK immigration system for 15 years and even as a “good” immigrant (or so old guys at bus stops told me) it was a total nightmare and a constant cloud hanging over me. Finally got my citizenship this year and hope that will keep the Home Office off my back now, just awful. Can’t begin to think how hard it is for refugees or immigrants that don’t speak English etc. I always help immigrants if I can because my experience was so dreadful.

Len

@skinnylatte I've had to explain to a lot of US Americans how their immigration works, and is horrific to go through, and why, considering I am incredibly lucky and have several other options, we are going for those options instead. (Deadlines for the operating bodies that are respected by the operating bodies! Clear laws that are in readable format for everyone! Clear requirements that aren't buried three layers deep that you have to hope the local government peeps are familiar with and will let you do! No actual need for an excellent immigration lawyer!)

None of them had any idea that this was how it worked for /everyone/, not just "those" immigrants.

Adrianna Tan

I’ve now decided it’s probably unsafe to share any details about my immigration journey with anyone unless they are also immigrants. After all, I did read a ‘liberal’ say they should call ICE if they think that a H1B got a job over a ‘native American’. Who needs ICE when you have blue state fash?

Chances are they aren’t going to call ICE on a French or Swedish H-1B (these people exist too!)

Asta [AMP]

@[email protected] how can someone frame this as a “labor issue” and think about it for more than two seconds and not come to the conclusion that what we need is better support and protections for workers. Why would a business prefer an H1B holder? Is it because they’re more skilled? Let’s say yes for the sake of argument. Why are you then insisting it’s the role of business to train citizens with the necessary skills instead of, say, the fucking state!? Maybe we lack “skilled” workers because of issues like our terrible for profit education system! Maybe we lack “skilled” workers because our educational system actively discriminates against more than half the population! Or because companies are biased against hiring women and BIPOC and don’t think of them as skilled! Maybe we’d have more “skilled citizens” if some of systemic issues were worked on?

god. how was the this guy allowed near policy.

Adrianna Tan

@aud oh someone also told me that we should reduce H1Bs so ‘they bring caste discrimination over here’

Yes, that sucks, but you don’t know anything about that either

Ulrike Walter-Lipow

@skinnylatte Yup, I think it actually has been like that for a while. I see it not just in the US, the EU as well: the rhetoric about "illegal immigrants" takes it toll. People start to associate migration with criminality, they don't bother to educate themselves about the complicated rules that govern "legal" migration, they are thoroughly unfamiliar with the complexities and challenges migrants face, because that would disturb their ideas about good and bad ...

abominably comfy

@len I only live in the UK because when I was about to marry a Brit it was /possible/ (difficult, traumatic, expensive, dehumanizing, but possible) for me to move here.

It was completely impossible for him to move with me to the U.S. Even though he's white, he worked in tech, etc.

I had to explain this repeatedly to my parents and their friends (in a red area of a blue state).

@skinnylatte

Asta [AMP]

@[email protected] RIGHT!? Like yeaaaah I am pretty sure I know people that have experienced that kind of discrimination and I am pretty sure people saying that do not.

You know what a good little shield against that would be? Unions! Holding companies accountable for toxic workplaces! It’s not like companies and offices here don’t have an ass ton of bias already, god.

Jeff C. 🇺🇦

@skinnylatte For what it’s worth, as somebody who works in tech, I value my H1B colleagues and consider them a valuable addition to our country and economy.

That so-called liberals will toss them under the bus for partisan or protectionist reasons is disappointing, but not that surprising.

Adrianna Tan

@jeff thank you

Cassandrich

@skinnylatte @aud Fuck around & find out, Robert Reich.

phillmv

@skinnylatte between the genocide in gaza and being trans, this year has really shown me how fragile the consensus is on “not being a huge shithead”

Thomas Sobieck 🐘

@skinnylatte It was so infuriating watching liberals go from principled defenders migrants during the Trump years to cheerleaders for Trump policies that Biden continued and elaborated on. Leading up to the election it was nauseating watching them grouse about how Trump didn't allow them to "fix" the border with a fascist law.

I'm surprised these liberals aren't going back to "principled" defense of migrants. I was kind of looking forward to it, but I guess the Overton window has shifted.

Mark Kraft

@skinnylatte Yeah, the issue never was that H-1B visas were bad for the country, as far as Elon goes. (For that matter, neither are visas for migrant workers or simply letting ANYONE work in the country.)

The issue is that Elon is a hypocrite who broke the rules to work in the country, routinely violated labor laws, endangering his workers, moved much of his labor to Texas where he can screw his workers over harder, and is exactly the person who shouldn't be the poster boy for H1-B.

Adrianna Tan

@KraftTea yeah he sucks. He’s not on anyone’s side. But the people who aren’t loudly defending immigrants worry me when they think they’re the good guys. They are more fixated on Elon and advocating for bad things to happen to immigrants just because Elon pisses them off. Totally off priorities

regular girl b

@skinnylatte @aud I can't stand Robert Reich or his online presence. He's a hypocrite.

The guy is literally a NIMBY who fought against building affordable housing in his posh Berkeley neighborhood and his son is the CEO of CollegeHumor.

I don't need this former Clintonite to tell me how bad things are.

Asta [AMP]

This post is deleted!

Tek aEvl

@skinnylatte This is a bait topic. The real issue is the #claSswar

Adrianna Tan

@tek yes and I’m going to keep yelling at Americans who fall for it without advocating for immigrants, no matter where they lie politically