TBoneTX

Comments? ~~~~~~~~~ ICE Uncovered a Massive Immigration Fraud Scheme The Department of Homeland Security has announced that an ICE investigation has identified over 10,000 potential cases of student visa fraud through the Optional Practical Training program. "Today, we are announcing that we have found over 10,000 who claim to be working for highly suspect employers," Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said at a press conference. "This is only the tip of the iceberg. Over the past year, we dramatically expanded our oversight of OPT and can report that we found fraud nationwide." The Optional Practical Training program, or OPT, is an initiative that allows for foreign nationals who have entered the U.S. under a student visa to legally work for a period of 12 months and creates a streamlined path to transition to an H-1B visa. [...] https://townhall.com/tipsheet/josephchalfant/2026/05/12/ice-uncovered-a-massive-immigration-fraud-scheme-n2675971

A post has been split from this thread, moved to the "Passports, etc." subforum, and given the topic title "Send in Nat Cert. *and* Foreign Birth Cert.? [split topic]."

The above was split from the U.S. Citizenship Case Progress subforum into its own thread here.

Thrilling Wednesday report, see man: We zzz'd almost until alarm time, zzz we man. Got Many (2+2+1) -- si man, Many (2+2+1) -- phone calls from Mama T-B., man. One accused us of cattywampus-ing all her pills, her fault for making us go into them on Tuesday man. Miu eagerly played with her batteried floor toy, playful miu man. Miu lay by back-patio window and a defensive bird screeched at her, screechy bird man. Groceried at legacy supermarket WUOCs, F$WM. Breakfast/lunch/din-din was a nuked Mexican din-din from aforementioned supermarket, ingest we man. A siesta truncated early but was effective while it lasted, some zzz we man. Ex-Mrs.-T-B. called about a couple of matters, si man. We asked for and got the name of the Nuevo Rojo, new Rojo or NR man. The NR has Many (2+1) Manyagers, not 2 like the original Rojo, ex-she man man. The NR lives even farther away than does the original Rojo, ex-she man man. Ex-Mrs.-T-B. will meet Mama NR during lunch on Friday, we look forward to hearing about that man. And this is why Friday will be Two Guys Eve this week, comprehend we man. No party with the rubias tonight, no cavort we man. Quick, probably low-value doc caucus on Thursday, why are we even bothering man. Will certainly have to visit Mama T-B. to out-straighten her pills, man. Must itinerary GSs/ESs for Friday, itinerary we man. And that was/is our thrilling Thursday, report we man.

VDH nails it. ~~~~~~~~~ The Four Horsemen of the New Antisemitism Few predicted that blaming Israel and the Jews who support it would flare up in the early 21st century—and in America of all places, where there are nearly as many Jews as there are in Israel. After all, Israel is the only consensual society in the Middle East. It holds regular elections and maintains tripartite judicial, executive, and legislative checks and balances. Free speech is found in the Middle East only in Israel, where religious apostasy, criticism of one's own country, gender equity, and tolerance of gays are guaranteed in marked contrast to all its neighbors. It was once common knowledge that Israel had survived the huge numbers of its enemies because its tiny population was better educated, freer, more adept at Western technology, more tolerant of dissent—and because it enjoyed the goodwill and bipartisan support of the United States. True, the recent affluence of the Gulf States has presented a thin veneer of Westernism that has fooled many in the new anti-Israel media. But just because Qatar did not censor a celebrity newsman's broadcast from Doha does not mean Qatar is a free society. After all, no Western journalist would dare schedule a broadcast from Qatar with a Qatari who had condemned the regime for its intolerance or announced his religious apostasy from Islam. So why and how did millions of Americans begin to express hatred for Israel and, albeit more subtly, the Jews who support it? There are four converging fronts in this perfect storm. [...] https://amgreatness.com/2026/05/12/the-four-horsemen-of-the-new-antisemitism/

We all need to read every ghastly word. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'DEPRAVITY' OF OCT 7TH Among the mutilated and butchered bodies of young women slaughtered on October 7, it was their colourful, polished nails that many of the morgue staff remember. Bright, beautiful, shiny, pink manicures glistening amid the pervasive 'grey and green' of death were often the only reminder of who these girls had been just hours earlier. Because Hamas-led terrorists had not just executed these women. They had 'deliberately and systematically' defiled them, as the most comprehensive account of the atrocity released by The Civil Commission today shows. The terrorists shot their eyes, their faces and their breasts, and even targeted their most intimate parts, to destroy their beauty and rob their loved ones of a final goodbye. Women were stripped, bound, stabbed, shot and burned. They were executed both during and after rape amid an orgy of violence in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage. Heads were decapitated. Pelvic bones shattered. Even after death, sexual assault continued. A grotesque, medieval obsession with sexual organs pervaded the crime scenes at the Nova Festival and in the Kibbutzim near Gaza. At Kibbutz Be'eri, nails, sharp objects, and pieces of metal and plastic were similarly embedded in a woman whose body was discovered naked and bound. On another victim, grenades were used. While ordinarily newspapers censor the full horrors of such accounts, today, as hard as it is, over 430 witnesses, survivors, experts and medical staff ask that you do not look away. [...] https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15807431/Full-depravity-Hamas-October-7-revealed-time-New-report-details-terrorists-performed-unimaginable-horrors-Israeli-families.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=social-twitter_mailonline

Agree or disagree with Alan Dershowitz? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1935: Was It the Worst Year in History? Was 1935 the worst year in history? Why 1935? What happened that year? Very little of significance. And that is precisely why it was such a bad year. Not for what was done – but for what was not done that could have been done. [...] https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2026/05/13/1935_was_it_the_worst_year_in_history_154115.html

Not crazy about the author's proposed solution (although it's better than nothing), but this article covers economic and societal issues. Comments on it? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Where Have the Men Gone? The Department of Labor keeps careful track of employment and the demographics thereof. Their latest report on men in the labor force is both mysterious and deeply alarming. It turns out that the labor force is missing about 7 million men who would otherwise be working. Close to a third of working-age men have vanished from the labor force. The labor force participation rate among "prime age men," age 25 to 54, in the 1950s approached 100 percent. Now it is 89 percent, meaning roughly 11 percent are not in the labor force (neither working nor looking for work). Among all men over 16 years of age, the rate is a devastatingly low 66 percent, so about one-third are gone. Among U.S.-born men, nearly 22 percent are gone. This is really quite shocking. The trend in decline dates far back, accelerated in the 1960s, stabilized in the 1980s, declined again after the turn of the century, and took a deep dive after the pandemic lockdowns and never recovered. It is falling again now, nearly to the lows we saw when the economy was actually locked down. [...] https://www.theepochtimes.com/opinion/where-have-the-men-gone-6023982

I agree with Lemonslice. You've paid more than enough already, I think.

Yee-HAAAAA! [That's Texan for "Congratulations!"] An often-overlooked pleasure in this ending of the process is filling in that final line in your VJ timeline, which you've done. Sure hope that you'll stick around VJ to help others, but, regardless, all the very best to you both.

Every little step is a gain.

1. Understood -- anyone would be upset. See what my contemporaries and I went through at the [censored] Guayaquil consulate back in the day (approx. the first 8 pages): http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/110313-us-consulate-in-guayaquil-ecuador/ And, worse: http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/180306-guayaquil-consulate-administrative-process/ 2. All the best. Truly magic words during this infernal process are "I'd like to speak with your supervisor now, please." If that isn't feasible, and if you can spare the time, have you thought about involving the immigration liaison at your U.S. Congressman's office? They're usually in the Washington, DC office. You'd have to find the release form that enables them to intervene on your behalf -- either on their website or by request -- and impress upon them the urgent nature of your need. You shouldn't have to fight these things alone, especially when often it's not "what" you know but "whom to contact." Let us know how you proceed, and of course the outcome.

Amidst the heavy traffic in this VAWA thread, we proudly present our Semiofficial Semiweekly VAWA-Thread Joke (it's Wednesday): =========================================== RIDDLES What did the doctor say to the panicked man who was afraid he was shrinking? Settle down - you'll have to learn to be a little patient! Why was 2019 afraid of 2020? Because they had a fight and 2021! Why should you never brush your teeth with your left hand? Because a toothbrush works better! Why are balloons so expensive? Inflation! What's the most popular time for a dentist appointment? Tooth hurty! Do you want to hear two short jokes and a long joke? Joke! Joke! Jooooooooooooooooke! How can a leopard change its spots? It moves from one spot to another. What do you call a wild dog who meditates? Aware wolf. What is the difference between a literalist and a kleptomaniac? A comma. A literalist takes everything literally. A kleptomaniac takes everything, literally. What's green and has wheels? Grass! I lied about the wheels.

Those USCIS grunts deserve a $10 tip. Or not.

Don't send her to Guam if she tips over, no man!