Shadow of the Wall 

Here's a song I created about Stephen "Goebbels" Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy and the US homeland security adviser. This is my favorite version of two. The AI-generated image below would be good raw material for a noir painting. I'm not sure who would want it, certainly not most members … Continue reading Shadow of the Wall 

“Tear Down the Walls”

REUTERS/via SNO Sites/Lucy NicholsonThe badge of ICE Field Office Director, Enforcement and Removal Operations, in Hawthorne, California. File photo March 1, 2020. I created this song "in honor of" ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), a US government agency from hell. Let me know which version you prefer in the comments section below, on my … Continue reading “Tear Down the Walls”

“Why I Cancelled My 2025 Trip To Trump’s America”

That's the title of a recent video by Rob Groves, who is based in the UK. Rob has a YouTube channel with nearly 60,000 subscribers, where we speak truth to power about British politics, and challenge the establishment narrative peddled by the overwhelmingly right-wing press and BBC. In the words of Noam Chomsky, 'power knows … Continue reading “Why I Cancelled My 2025 Trip To Trump’s America”

Entrapment Victims: 1; DHS: 0

Remember the late great University of Northern New Jersey (UNNJ) created in 2013 by the US Department of Homeland Security "to target brokers and recruiters who sought to abuse the U.S. immigration system for financial gain", including unsuspecting international students, as if they don't have enough other work protecting Ze Homeland? Keep in mind that … Continue reading Entrapment Victims: 1; DHS: 0

Promoting Study in the USA in Trying Times

Hot off the digital press, here is my latest essay. I kick it off with one of my favorite quotes from Senator Fulbright about international educational exchange: There is nothing obscure about the objectives of educational exchange. Its purpose is to acquaint Americans with the world as it is and to acquaint students and scholars … Continue reading Promoting Study in the USA in Trying Times

To the USA, With Hope

Love is stronger than hate. Getty Images / ipopba From my peaceful and COVID-free perch in Hanoi, I've been thinking a lot about my colleagues in the US who have devoted their careers to working with international students, including many from Viet Nam. Like many fellow citizens, their current stress levels are stratospheric because they … Continue reading To the USA, With Hope

“We Are More Than Your Paycheck: The Dehumanization of International Students in the United States”

Photo by Katie Moum on Unsplash Here's some (more) recommended reading for anyone interested in the current situation of international students in the US. The authors are Santiago Castiello-Gutiérrez and Xiaojie Li, both Ph.D. students at the University of Arizona’s Center for the Study of Higher Education. This excerpt may whet your appetite to read the article in … Continue reading “We Are More Than Your Paycheck: The Dehumanization of International Students in the United States”

SEVP Does An About-Face With I-20 Issuance Policy

My latest essay for University World News is about the June 2019 I-20 policy guidance and the about-face just six months later. As I noted in my concluding paragraph, I give ICE credit for recognising the error of its ways within six months of publishing a policy guidance document on Form I-20 Issuance and School … Continue reading SEVP Does An About-Face With I-20 Issuance Policy

Time & Money for Fake Universities But Not Routine Data Updates

NOTE: Here's the correct link to my latest University World News essay, Vietnamese student enrolment in the US holds steady. Mea culpa! The clock is stuck at March 2019. While information may not always be power, it certainly is helpful in professional decision-making. The last SEVIS by the Numbers update was 10 months ago. I … Continue reading Time & Money for Fake Universities But Not Routine Data Updates