Who Cares about the Odyssey?
It's about to cost $100,000 to apply for a green card
I promised myself I would not write about The Odyssey.
“Charles,” that little voice in my head began to say, “there is absolutely nothing of value to be written about that cursed film, certainly not in an opinion piece. Enough ink has already been spilled, enough Tweets have already been Tweeted, including paid sponsorships dispensed from a hasbara fund so deep it would make even our man in Tel Aviv swoon from vertigo. Just leave it be.”
After a brief pause, the homunculus piloting my meat-suit continued: “Remember: You’ve posted the hilarious memes and called her Helen of Detroit—for which you received furious copyright strikes from the film studio—and you’ve also offered compelling analysis of why the film is not a ‘Trojan Horse” expertly crafted to smuggle an anti-woke message into the very heart of Hollywood’s wokest of wokes. People can figure out for themselves that a guy like Jonathan Pageau—the sort of theory-obsessed blowhard who can’t read a menu without pontificating about the symbolism of the entrees in Leviticus—is just talking out of his French-Canadian trou du cul. (Yes, you could make a Troy joke there, but don’t.)
“Leave it be. The idiots will see the film in IMAX and order the special Elliott Page popcorn bucket, then post their glowing reviews on Reddit for updoots. The sensible ones with an ounce of self-respect will stay at home and watch the superlative Armand Assante made-for-TV adaptation instead. Do something better with your time, Charles. You are better than that.”
And, you know what? The tiny dude what lives in my head was right. I am better than that. I’m not going to waste any time writing about the latest big-budget attempt to subvert Western civilization and justify infinity mass immigration. I’m going to write about something that really does matter. And what’s more, it’s going to be something that otherwise wouldn’t get the attention it deserves.
So here goes.
This week we were told the State Department is going to start charging green-card applicants a $100,000 bond for their applications. This is a good thing. Very smart. The Trump admin is doing lots of smart things at the moment—if we can agree to put Iran to one side, and I hope we will.
Spokesman Tommy Pigott said the Trump admin is considering the move to ensure immigrants are “financially self-sufficient” and “contribute to our society more than they take from it.”
“We are working closely with the Department of Homeland Security to introduce commonsense and effective procedures to enforce U.S. laws, restore the integrity of our immigration system, and protect American public benefits programs from the financial burden of foreigners who arrive with major expensive medical or other needs,” Pigott said in a statement to The Hill.
“As part of this comprehensive initiative, the Department is exploring the use of a long-standing legal authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to require certain visa applicants—those who are otherwise ineligible for a visa because they are likely become a public charge—to post a bond as a way to demonstrate they have access to the funds needed to support themselves,” he added.
The $100,000 fee for green-card applicants will be a steep increase on current charges. The money will be collected from individuals or family members in the US and then returned at a later date.
According to The Hill, “The traditional green-card application fee depends on the specific category and whether the applicant is applying from inside or outside the U.S.
“The standard filing fee for Form I-485 is $1,440 for those applying within the country, but those who need to apply for a work permit and travel documents incur additional fees unless filed concurrently under specific conditions.
“A $325 DS-260 visa application fee is traditionally paid by those applying from outside of the U.S. through the Department of State’s online Consular Electronic Application Center portal.
“The payment is followed by a $235 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services immigrant fee to process their packet and produce their card after the visa is approved.”
A similar bond system has been introduced for visa applicants from over 50 African countries, who now have to put up a minimum of $15,000 to come to the US. If they don’t leave, the money is forfeit. Needless to say, applications for visas from Malawi and Zambia and 48 other nowhere countries are down considerably.
This new green-card fee will have an even greater deterrent effect, and applications for permanent residency will tumble.
The Trump admin’s pivot to a quietly-quietly approach when it comes to immigration, of which these new visas rules are just the latest example, is already working nicely. Not long ago, I wrote about the closing of a major immigration loophole by the Citizenship and Immigration Service, a loophole that has been used to grant citizenship to millions of immigrants. The “Adjustment of Status” pathway allows permanent citizenship to be granted to immigrants without leaving the country to apply. Although this was authorized by Congress in the 1950s, it was intended only as an “administrative grace” in very special cases. Closing that loophole now means millions more immigrants could effectively be barred from obtaining permanent citizenship.
