It’s been a busy week for U.S. immigration policy. Microsoft and seven other companies have been suspended from a green card program, nine major universities have received subpoenas over possible visa fraud and schools could soon face fees of up to $100,000 to help international graduates work in the country. Many Asian students and workers could be affected.
This issue also looks at the deportation of hundreds of Filipino seafarers, 40 new cases seeking to revoke naturalized Americans’ citizenship and cyberstalking charges against a Pennsylvania professor accused of antisemitic harassment. We close with the death of Ryo Uchimiya, a longtime Nobu Malibu sushi chef killed while resting in his parked car before work.
Featured
A third of new DOJ denaturalization cases involve Asian immigrants
Citizenship can be challenged decades after naturalization, and a new Justice Department push is putting that authority under renewed scrutiny.
A Rebel Yellow review found that 14 of the administration’s 40 newly announced denaturalization cases involve immigrants from Asian countries. The proceedings are civil, and defendants are not entitled to court-appointed lawyers even though losing citizenship can ultimately expose them to deportation.
What else we’re tracking
Trump admin suspends Microsoft, 7 others from green card program
Microsoft, Adobe and six major IT outsourcing companies have been suspended from a federal program employers use to sponsor foreign workers for green cards. Vice President JD Vance singled out Microsoft over its hiring figures, but the company says his comparison leaves out a crucial distinction about existing employees.
Trump admin subpoenas 9 elite universities in visa fraud probe
Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT and five other research universities have received federal subpoenas as the Trump administration investigates possible abuse of the J-1 exchange visitor program. While the government has yet to publicly identify specific violations by the nine institutions, several schools have already expressed that they follow federal visa rules.
Pennsylvania professor charged with cyberstalking in alleged antisemitic campaign
Federal investigators say they traced several anonymous X accounts used to threaten a Haverford College employee back to internet connections associated with professor Guangtian Ha. Ha now faces a federal cyberstalking charge carrying a possible five-year prison sentence.
Hundreds of Filipino seafarers caught in widening US deportation crackdown
Another seven Filipino cruise workers were deported from Boston on Oct. 5. They’re among nearly 300 Filipino seafarers removed from the U.S. this year, some of whom say they’ve lost their visas and jobs. But why were these latest workers sent home? U.S. authorities haven’t publicly said, and Philippine officials are trying to find out.
Trump wants universities to pay up to $100K per foreign graduate it recommends to work in US
A new Homeland Security proposal would require universities to pay $70,000 to recommend an international student for Optional Practical Training, with another $30,000 for a subsequent recommendation. The administration says the fees would discourage fraud, while education advocates warn that schools could simply stop recommending some students.
Teen driver kills longtime sushi chef in parked car outside Malibu restaurant
A Japanese sushi chef who spent about half his life working at Nobu Malibu was killed while sitting in his parked car outside the restaurant. Police say a Range Rover driven by a 16-year-old struck Ryo Uchimiya’s vehicle, though the cause of the collision remains under investigation.
Why read Issue #270?
We don’t think we really even need to point it out. You can do everything by the book and still have your plans affected by a new policy or investigation.
That’s why it’s worth checking in on what’s changing. Even if it’s not you directly, someone you know is navigating the immigration system.
We’ve covered the latest in this issue, so have a read and share it with anyone who might need the information.
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The Rebel Yellow is supported in part by funding from The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). Funders do not influence story selection, reporting, or editorial decisions. All editorial content is independently produced by The Rebel Yellow team.