Michael Weiss

By what point in time do you think Trump will start arresting and/or executing his political enemies?

@Adsbadge @dieworkwear As an adult have you ever looked up what that process is, and discovered that it literally does not exist?

@dieworkwear As an adult have you started the process of becoming a citizen, legally?

I debated whether to share my story on here, but I guess I will. I think there's an idea out there that millions of violent criminals are pouring across the border, carrying machetes and drugs, looking to harm Americans. Certainly, while some people fall into that category, the vast majority of undocumented immigrants don't. My family escaped Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and went through an arduous journey that eventually landed them in the Canada. My father worked there for a time as a janitor; my mother, a secretary. When work fell through, my dad was offered to work with his sister in the United States, so he went, as our family needed money. He ended up staying in the US longer than he was supposed to — not knowing immigration laws — and asked my mom to come be with him. Of course, she went and carried me over the border while I was still a baby. I'm still unsure whether we technically broke an immigration law. The border between Canada and the United States was pretty porous (as it is today, for the most part). But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I've been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else. The lack of legal immigration has totally shaped my life. It has made every interaction with the law much scarier. It has shaped which opportunities I could or could not get. It has taken an emotional toll, as this legal issue hangs over your head like a black cloud. There are millions of people in my situation — people who were brought here as children, some babies, and were unable to raise their hand during this process and say "maybe we should hire a lawyer." Parents may have crossed the border not knowing about the law, as the law can be pretty confusing and lawyers are expensive. Perhaps, in the end, they should have hired a lawyer; but sometimes life is messy. In the end, they crossed for the same reason many people rise every day: to support their families. I think it's unreasonable to deport millions of people who have contributed positively to society. It's simply not true that the majority of these people are violent criminals carrying drugs. Many own small businesses; many work as skilled laborers (including garment workers!). The vast majority are good, honest people. For those of us who grew up in the United States, sending us "back" to our "home" country would mean sending someone to a foreign land, as they grew up in the United States. Tearing families apart based on immigration status seems inhumane. About twenty years ago, I watched with some small measure of hope that the Dream ACT would pass and help a portion of undocumented immigrants. I saw people march angrily in the streets (something I supported). But I was dismayed to see nothing really come about. In fact, when Obama passed DACA, I was skeptical that it would be sensible to give your information to the federal government without a guaranteed path to citizenship. It seems that the Trump administration may use those lists to hunt down immigrants. I think the ICE sweeps are inhumane. I support and admire the protestors who are putting their bodies on the line for non-violent resistance. Ultimately, I think we need to solve this issue on a systemic level. It's unreasonable to me to expect that the government will deport some 10-20 million people. Even deporting 1 million will cause an insane amount of chaos, not to mention an incredible amount of wasteful government spending. The militarization of law enforcement is over the top and only escalate the situation. I have seen people march on this issue, only for it to be dropped later and dissolve into quiet grumbles. In the end, nothing is done for immigrants. Time passes until decades later, we have another political crisis like the one we have today. This cycle seems unsustainable. I hope people sustain this energy to solve the immigration issue and put undocumented immigrants — most who are peaceful, skilled, and hard-working citizens — on a path to citizenship. As time continues to go by, many undocumented immigrants are seeing their lives wasted away. If you care about this issue, I hope you get involved on the long haul: volunteer for pro-immigrant groups, donate to mutual aid, and perhaps pursue career paths that help people in this situation. I was moved to read someone on here say that, when they found their employee was undocumented, they helped them get a green card. The path was difficult, as our immigration system is broken (it took them 11 years). But I can tell you that this is like pulling someone drowning in raging waters. Ultimately, I hope me sharing this story helps push back against the idea that all undocumented immigrants are MS-13 members. I know many people in my position and they are all like your neighbors.

@jonathancoulton may be interested to learn that the @UMich Math Dept annual meeting launched with a live performance of "Mandelbrot Set" performed by an alum

@tingFTW As far as I can tell (having spoken with tech support on the phone and via live chat online) SMS messaging is out for a sizable chunk of your customer base. Any idea when it will be restored?

I am thrilled that @JocelynBenson is running for Michigan's governor, and plan to do all I can to campaign for her. But I have to say I am feeling a lot of despair right now.

The problem, Senator -- as you surely know -- is that Republicans use the claim of "protecting homeland security" as a fig leaf for denying fundamental human rights without due process. "I'll work with them" provides cover for their abuses

Congratulations, @MichiganEGLE, you successfully ran out the clock and now all of the funding for this program that you spent two years developing procedures for has been withdrawn by executive order and nobody will ever get to take advantage of it

If you're a Democrat, your mission over the next four years can be easily condensed to a single line: make sure every single thing Americans hear about their federal government, and the state of the country, is bad.

I cannot express how disheartened I am that both of Michigan Democratic senators, @SenGaryPeters and @SenatorSlotkin, voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act, which will enable ICE to put migrants in detention without due process and empower states to block visa programs. Shameful.

"Why aren't you at the Hague?" is not, in fact, a question, any more than "Have you stopped beating your wife yet?" is.

This looks like @ryanqnorth wearing a fake mustache, but of course there's no reason at all to suspect that he is secretly either Joseph Stalin or D.B. Cooper, who I mention only as a second famous example of a bank robber and not of course for any other reason

⁦@Indigo_Girls⁩ is this the real Emily on Bluesky, or an imposter account?

Mathematician here: ChatGPT *routinely* gets our homework assignments wrong. It's not able to sustain attention on anything long-term so on any problem that has multiple parts or aspects to it tends to wander off into total nonsense

Important Chanukah fried foods update: Medhu vadha with sambar >> sufganiyot and latkes

I need a @dieworkwear breakdown of this picture

@TheWapplehouse @FalconryFinance I was a high school teacher in 2001 and our school (in Metro Detroit) dismissed early.

@FalconryFinance Do they think we got sent home on 9/11

These people are soft and weak

writing a book about the Ayin just so I can title it "The Nothing That Is"

And that’s not even taking into account all of the fascism and hate speech

The degree to which this website has been rendered unusable in the past year is really breathtaking

My entire Notifications tab is now filled with posts by people I don’t follow. It’s like a shittier “For You” feed that I can’t opt out of

@___CBK @UMich The thing is "NCRC 520" means something, but "NCRB 520" does not -- there are no 'numbers' within the NCRB.

@profmweiss @UMich Yes that would be an important typo to clarify. No idea what’s going on just hope everyone’s ok

Ann Arbor: 2124 Emergency NCRB520. Avoid the area. Officers on scene. Do not enter the area until cleared. Updates: dpss.umich.edu dpss.umich.edu