J Vimo

Long story short, rejecting visa applications because an official considers an immigrant to be "too fat" is where we are right now. Apparently, Trump's America is only for the rich and skinny. 3/

In 2017, I co-founded the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) campaign to push back against the "public charge" rule. Through a national organizing campaign, we secured over 200,000 public comments on the rule (a record-breaking number), almost all of them opposing the proposal. 2/

Rubio instructs US diplomats to consider obesity as a cause for rejecting visas White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the guidance is an extension of the administration’s efforts to focus federal spending on US citizens.

Tomorrow, DHS will publish a new proposed "public charge" rule. Trump 1.0 sought to implement a "wealth test" barring immigrants if they were "too poor," accessed public benefits, or were deemed likely to be dependent on the government for support.

politi.co/3JINvJb 1/

Inbox— next cover of the New Yorker: “Mayor Mamdani,” by Edel Rodriguez

Mamdani: "New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant."

New York City comptroller Brad Lander arrested at immigration court hearing Mayoral candidate was detained by Ice as he escorted an immigrant out of court, says his wife

I've been joining Brad in doing this accompaniment work at immigration courts in Manhattan. This is outrageous. They are now arresting US citizens. And this US citizen just happens to be a leading mayoral candidate. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Amid crackdown fears, Mass. undocumented immigrants seem to be still getting driver’s licenses Experts say undocumented immigrants are in a bind. They can get a driver’s license to avoid criminal charges for driving without one, but that comes with what now feels like a risk under the Trump adm...

According to Jackie Vimo: “It’s really a terrible double bind that immigrants are in... On one hand, they don’t want to drive unlicensed and uninsured. On the other... they don’t want to have to give their information to a government that might use that to deport them.”
www.wgbh.org/news/local/2...

Civically Engaged Research (CER): an urgent call for action in immigration federalism scholarship For nearly 40 years, the United States has grappled with ineffective immigration policies and the reality of approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants living and working on American soil wit...

My article with Allan Colbern and Shawn Walker on the urgent need for Civically Engaged Research (CER) in immigration scholarship was just published!

Check it out here:
www.tandfonline.com/eprint/EC7GC...

Trump Live Updates: China Tariffs, Ukraine-Russia War and More

We're arresting judges now. Nothing to see here. No clear evidence of authoritarianism. Nope.

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/04...

Hi. I was also born in Newton to immigrant parents (from Argentina, where my whole family still lives). I’ve worked for over 25 years in. immigration advocacy. What can we do to support you?

This sets a terrifying precedent that no one's tax data is safe. Note that the data protection laws were passed because the Nixon White House had obtained IRS records, including tax returns, for many of Nixon’s political opponents. 2/

I.R.S. Agrees to Share Migrants’ Tax Information with ICE The agreement is a major departure from the Internal Revenue Service’s efforts to gain the trust of migrants and encourage them to file their taxes.

This is not only bad policy, as it will result in the loss of millions of taxpayer dollars, but it is also illegal—IRC Section 6103 prohibits the sharing of tax data without a judicial order. 1/

I.R.S. Agrees to Share Migrants’ Tax Information with ICE www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/u...

Undocumented immigrants' tax data could be used by ICE - Marketplace The Trump administration is challenging a longstanding firewall around taxpayer data so addresses can be shared and used in deportations.

Vimo, a professor at Montclair State University, has helped families with their taxes for decades. “I can’t, in good conscience, advise people that it’s safe to file their taxes anymore. This sets a dangerous precedent that no one’s information is secure.”

www.marketplace.org/2025/04/03/u...

While ED is relatively new (Carter created it in 1979), college was, until recently, only for rich, white men. Public education has played a crucial role in promoting class mobility. Without access to public education, capitalist systems are indistinguishable from pure aristocratic oligarchies.

Trump Is Said to Sign Order Aimed at Dismantling Education Department (Gift Article) The order will lay the groundwork for eventually shuttering the agency, reassigning some of its primary duties.

RIP Education Department. Nearly one-third of all college students receive Pell Grants, and about 28% receive college loans. This is basically the Trump Administration making it clear that they don't want low-income students to be able to access higher education. 1/ www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/u...

A federal judge in NY has blocked any effort by the Trump administration to deport Mahmoud Khalil – whose arrest and imminent deportation Trump celebrated on Turth Social today — until further proceedings play out. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

How is this anything more than an authoritarian attempt to silence and target nonprofits Trump doesn’t agree with??

Second, the EO aims to scrutinize + potentially exclude certain nonprofits from PSLF eligibility, particularly those that may “engage in illegal, or what we would consider to be improper activities.” Who’s going to decide a certain 501(c)3 org is engaging in “illegal” or “improper” activities? 3/

First of all, the president cannot eliminate or modify a program enacted by Congress by issuing an executive order. 2/

Trump Will Modify Public Service Loan Forgiveness Via Executive Order President Trump is poised to sign an executive order later today directing the Education Department to modify the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

This is illegal and authoritarian. The PSLF program was created by Congress in 2007 with the passage of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush. 1/

www.forbes.com/sites/shahar...

“The days of rule by unelected bureaucrats are over.”

Uh....

I know that everyone is overwhelmed, but this is an emergency moment for academic freedom. We have to fight back and resist these attacks.

Will we still be permitted to teach history and facts? Will they try to censor our teaching about the institution of slavery and the FACT of racial disparities in areas including health, income, and criminal justice? Will we still be allowed to teach Critical Race Theory?

3/

The letter essentially referred to DEI programs, Black and Latino graduation ceremonies, and teaching about race as "a shameful echo of a darker period in this country's history." In other words, DEI is the new Jim Crow. So what does this mean?

2/

URGENT! I just learned that on Friday, DOE sent letters to colleges and universities with guidance to cease DEI programs and to stop "discriminating" against students on the basis of race, "including white and Asian students," within 14 DAYS.

Letter here: www.ed.gov/media/docume...

1/

We took out these student loans w/the expectation, the PROMISE from the government, that our loans would be forgiven after ten years of public service. I would never have taken out these loans were it not for this expectation. I'm literally hyperventilating right now. www.forbes.com/sites/adammi...