Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 12h

Many thanks to all colleagues @ciseth.bsky.social for a lively discussion, excellent comments and a great trip to Zurich!

cis.ethz.ch/details.how-...

2

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 12h

In the big picture, I think this is a reasonable compromise, keeping the main elements of the 2024 “modernization“ reform in tact.

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 20h

Citizenship in the News 📰 🇩🇪

German parliament votes to get rid of fast-track citizenship: Friedrich Merz’s conservatives had pledged to rescind legislation, which allowed citizenship in three years instead of five

🔗 www.dw.com/en/german-pa...

German parliament votes to get rid of fast-track citizenship – DW – 10/08/2025

Crossing fast-track citizenship off the books was a key migration-related election campaign promise from Chancellor Merz's CDU. Critics argue that this will deter highly qualified immigrants from comi...

www.dw.com

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 20h

Citizenship in the News 📰 🇩🇪

German parliament votes to get rid of fast-track citizenship: Friedrich Merz’s conservatives had pledged to rescind legislation, which allowed citizenship in three years instead of five

🔗 www.dw.com/en/german-pa...

German parliament votes to get rid of fast-track citizenship – DW – 10/08/2025

Crossing fast-track citizenship off the books was a key migration-related election campaign promise from Chancellor Merz's CDU. Critics argue that this will deter highly qualified immigrants from comi...

www.dw.com

1

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 3d

“The ‘lessons of history’ give us every reason to be wary of () this most recent effort to break with our established tradition of recognizing birthright citizenship and to make citizenship depend on the actions of one’s parents rather than () the simple fact of being born in the United States”.

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 3d

Citizenship in the News 🇺🇸📰

Federal appeals court rules Trump administration can’t end birthright citizenship: Adding to the mounting legal setbacks for the president’s birthright order.

apnews.com/article/birt...

Federal appeals court rules Trump administration can't end birthright citizenship

A federal appeals court in Boston has ruled the Trump administration cannot withhold citizenship from children born to people in the country illegally or temporarily.

apnews.com

2 9

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 3d

Citizenship in the News 🇺🇸📰

Federal appeals court rules Trump administration can’t end birthright citizenship: Adding to the mounting legal setbacks for the president’s birthright order.

apnews.com/article/birt...

Federal appeals court rules Trump administration can't end birthright citizenship

A federal appeals court in Boston has ruled the Trump administration cannot withhold citizenship from children born to people in the country illegally or temporarily.

apnews.com

1 8

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 6d

Muito bem

www.publico.pt/2025/10/03/i...

Joana Marques absolvida no processo judicial interposto pelos Anjos

A juíza considerou não ser possível distinguir se o que provocou danos foi a polémica do vídeo de Joana Marques ou a própria transmissão original do hino interpretado por Nelson e Sérgio Rosado.

www.publico.pt

1

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 7d

If this country was truly “pro-life,” we would have Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, gun reform, universal child care, and a living wage.

The right-wing agenda isn’t about “life.”

It’s about control.

750 7.8K 26K

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 8d

This will be great - looking forward!

Registered ✔️

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 8d

🚨 Webinar Alert 🚨

Join us for the online launch of the new Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset, the most comprehensive global dataset on migrant suffrage to date 🌐

📅 Oct 15 | 17:00 CEST
📍 Online
🔗 Register www.eui.eu/events?id=58...

1 1

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 8d

🚨 Webinar Alert 🚨

Join us for the online launch of the new Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset, the most comprehensive global dataset on migrant suffrage to date 🌐

📅 Oct 15 | 17:00 CEST
📍 Online
🔗 Register www.eui.eu/events?id=58...

5 4

Leila Hadj Abdou @leilahadjabdou.bsky.social · 8d

Interested in #migration research policy relations, and the role of evidence in policy making? Join us tomorrow 6 pm CET in person or online. nccr-onthemove.ch/news-events/ #UniversityofNeuchatel #NCCR

News + Events | nccr – on the move

Find the current news and events of nccr - on the move, as well as our newsletters and the archive regrouping past events, to stay informed on migration and mobility research

nccr-onthemove.ch

3 3

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 9d

Powerful stuff on an issue that should be unremarkable.

“No one’s freedom of speech is unlimited, of course, but these limits are the same for both citizens and non-citizens alike.”

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 9d

Judge Young: "This case ... squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally 'yes, they do.' 'No law' means 'no law.'"

This case -– perhaps the most important ever to fall within the jurisdiction of this district court –- squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally “yes, they do.” “No law” means “no law.” The First Amendment does not draw President Trump’s invidious distinction and it is not to be found in our history or jurisprudence. See Section III.A infra. No one’s freedom of speech is unlimited, of course, but these limits are the same for both citizens and non-citizens alike.

2

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 9d

Judge Young: "This case ... squarely presents the issue whether non-citizens lawfully present here in United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us. The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally 'yes, they do.' 'No law' means 'no law.'"

18 680 2.3K

Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 10d

What the internet's for.

PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 @patriottakes.bsky.social · 10d

Pete Hegseth accidentally flipping a skateboard into his nuts on live TV

1 10 49

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 10d

It’s mind boggling what Labour is doing.

Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 10d

Labour looking at Reform's racist policies and saying "we"ll have some of that". These aren't just discriminatory, by making migrants meet higher standards than the average person, they automatically treat migrants as if they are criminals on community service.
#r4today
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Under the proposals, legal migrants will have to learn English to a high standard, have a clean criminal record and volunteer in their community to be granted permanent settlement status.

9

Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 10d

Labour looking at Reform's racist policies and saying "we"ll have some of that". These aren't just discriminatory, by making migrants meet higher standards than the average person, they automatically treat migrants as if they are criminals on community service.
#r4today
www.bbc.com/news/article...

25 120 410

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 12d

Deeply worrying and shocking that not only most of Reform UK voters but also nearly half of Conservative voters think that permanent residents in the UK should be deprived of their “indefinite leave to remain”.

YouGov @yougov.co.uk · 12d

The majority of Reform UK voters would see indefinite leave to remain removed from all of the groups we asked about, apart from those who have lived in the UK for 20+ years

yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

1 6

YouGov @yougov.co.uk · 12d

The majority of Reform UK voters would see indefinite leave to remain removed from all of the groups we asked about, apart from those who have lived in the UK for 20+ years

yougov.co.uk/politics/art...

7 5 17

Laura Belin @laurarbelin.bsky.social · 13d

Breaking news from Des Moines: ICE has detained Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent of Iowa's largest school district.
The Des Moines Public Schools said "We have no confirmed information as to why Dr. Roberts is being detained or the next potential steps."
www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/09/26/i...

ICE detains Des Moines Superintendent Dr. Ian Roberts

Iowa's largest school district had "no confirmed information" on why ICE detained Dr. Ian Roberts, the superintendent since 2023.

www.bleedingheartland.com

200 1.8K 3.3K

Rahsaan Maxwell @rahsaanmax.bsky.social · 14d

Enough of the BS. It's not a 'crackdown' on academia. You 'crackdown' on criminals and villains. It's a wild assault and a desperate power grab. And that shouldn't be hard to say, regardless of ideological preferences.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/25/o...

Opinion | The Grand Strategy Behind Trump’s Crackdown on Academia

www.nytimes.com

9 22 96

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 14d

Check out a ✨ brand new @globalcit.bsky.social dataset!

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 14d

Explore the new GLOBALCIT Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset ❗🌐

🌍 165 countries (1960–2020)
📊 488 indicators
🗳️ voting & candidacy rights of non-citizen residents + non-resident citizens
🏛️ Differentiates election type (legislative, executive, referendum) & level

📥: tinyurl.com/yv37nj7m

Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset - Globalcit

Suffrage is a central element of democracy. Over time, electoral rights have increasingly become available to migrants—both as non-citizen residents and as non-resident citizens. However, existing dat...

tinyurl.com

7

GLOBALCIT @globalcit.bsky.social · 14d

Explore the new GLOBALCIT Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset ❗🌐

🌍 165 countries (1960–2020)
📊 488 indicators
🗳️ voting & candidacy rights of non-citizen residents + non-resident citizens
🏛️ Differentiates election type (legislative, executive, referendum) & level

📥: tinyurl.com/yv37nj7m

Migrant Electoral Rights (MER) Dataset - Globalcit

Suffrage is a central element of democracy. Over time, electoral rights have increasingly become available to migrants—both as non-citizen residents and as non-resident citizens. However, existing dat...

tinyurl.com

2 8 17

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 14d

See also posts by @peterspiro.bsky.social

bsky.app/profile/pete...

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

Category capped at 40k visas a year. This will probably create backlogs and processing delays for aliens who actually have extraordinary ability

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 14d

Il Cubo nero non vola, sta sulle gambe d'acciaio della Speculazione.

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 14d

Good 🧵 by @jdzankic.bsky.social on the problematic 'gold card' in the US.

Jelena Dzankic @jdzankic.bsky.social · 14d

I’ve been waiting for this since February, and it is quite a bit of an anticlimax. See 🧵 for a few thoughts on the #goldcard, #residence, #US

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

The Gold Card

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

1 2 1

Jelena Dzankic @jdzankic.bsky.social · 14d

I’ve been waiting for this since February, and it is quite a bit of an anticlimax. See 🧵 for a few thoughts on the #goldcard, #residence, #US

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

The Gold Card

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

1 2 5

Maarten Vink @maartenpvink.bsky.social · 16d

“Totally absurd but probably will stick” is the motto of the T admin.

It’s just one more grift scheme.

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.

The Gold Card

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

1 3

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

Category capped at 40k visas a year. This will probably create backlogs and processing delays for aliens who actually have extraordinary ability

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.

The Gold Card

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

2 2 7

Peter Spiro @peterspiro.bsky.social · 16d

So they found a legal workaround for the “Gold Card” - anyone who donates a million bucks automatically qualifies as an “alien of extraordinary ability”. Totally absurd but probably will stick. No one will have standing to challenge.

The Gold Card

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose.

www.whitehouse.gov

1 2 9

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 16d

Finally reading the full Gold Card EO and wow is it wild. The order says that any person who pays $1 million is, by definition, a person of "exceptional business ability" and therefore qualified for an EB-2 visa.

Does anything better sum up the Trump ethos than "all rich people are exceptional."?

Sec. 2. The Gold Card. (a) The Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall establish a “Gold Card” program authorizing an alien who makes an unrestricted gift to the Department of Commerce under 15 U.S.C. 1522 (or for whom a corporation or similar entity makes such a gift) to establish eligibility for an immigrant visa using an expedited process, to the extent consistent with law and public safety and national security concerns. The requisite gift amount shall be $1 million for an individual donating on his or her own behalf and $2 million for a corporation or similar entity donating on behalf of an individual.

(b) In adjudicating visa applications, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall, consistent with applicable law, treat the gift specified in subsection (a) of this section as evidence of eligibility under 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(1)(A), of exceptional business ability and national benefit under 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(2)(A), and of eligibility for a national-interest waiver under 8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(2)(B).

110 980 3.2K