You’ve worked in immigration law through seven presidential administrations since 2000. What’s different today?
I’ve never seen this level of enforcement. I’ve seen border slowdowns before, after 9/11 and during the pandemic, but nothing like what’s happening now under Trump 2.0. If someone doesn’t have quite the right paperwork, they used to say, “Come back tomorrow.” Now you run the serious risk of being detained or maybe even deported. Meanwhile, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has made outrageous comments about deporting whole immigrant families together, and how that’s at least better than deporting them separately. I don’t think he’s being ironic.
Category: Canada Letter (Page 1 of 51)
A Canadian history professor at Harvard University says Trump’s attacks on the institution, including attempts to ban international students, are ‘authoritarian’ in nature. Professor Weld says the tactics mirror those of past autocratic regimes.
The prime ministers discussed deepening trade, commercial, and defence partnerships, including on transatlantic and Arctic security. They also reaffirmed their support for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine that respects its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Amanda Stephenson and David Ljunggren, Reuters »
New Canadian Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson vowed on Friday to cut back a lengthy approval process that means major projects can often take many years to be given the green light.
“In the new economy we are building, Canada will no longer be defined by delay, we will be defined by delivery,” he told a business audience in an early morning speech to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.
“We will identify and fast track projects of national interest — no more five-year reviews — decisions will come in two years for all projects to make that happen,” Hodgson said.
Judge issues temporary order blocking the White House from revoking Harvard’s ability to enroll foreign students
Hundreds of Canadians could potentially be caught up in the fight between President Donald Trump and prestigious Harvard University over international student enrollment.
Future queen of Belgium — Princess Elisabeth — caught up in Harvard foreign student ban
The Trump administration’s sudden move to bar foreign students at Harvard University is seen as dealing a blow to the US’s standing in business — and handing an advantage to elite rival colleges across the English-speaking world.
Greenland has allowed a Danish-French consortium to mine a rock which is key to the production of aluminum.
The permit granted to Greenland Anorthosite Mining (GAM) allows the company to extract anorthosite.
GAM, which is backed by French company Jean Boulle Group and real estate investment firms bodies from Denmark and Greenland, was granted a 30-year permit.
More at Mining Connection / Reuters / Forbes / Newsweek
Trump left out a key detail this week when he outlined his plans for a massive missile and air defense shield over the continent: He can’t build it without Canada.
Canada would need to play a pivotal role in Trump’s signature, potentially $500 billion effort to build the so-called Golden Dome, according to U.S. officials and experts, with Ottawa providing radars and airspace needed to track incoming missiles in the Arctic.
And while Trump insists the country wants to participate, Canadian leaders appear more tepid.
Trump suddenly finds himself in need of an ally he has largely forsaken. He has singled out Canada for free riding on American military might and preferential trade ties, and has engaged in a tariff battle that has stilted relations. Prime Minister Mark Carney has warned the United States can’t take Ottawa for granted and has begun searching for other security partners.
More than a dozen high-ranking executive branch officials and congressional aides have made well-timed trades since Trump took office in January, most of them selling stock before the market plunged amid fears that Trump’s tariffs would set off a global trade war, according to a ProPublica review of disclosures across the government.
“In 1914, the Komagata Maru steamship anchored in Vancouver’s harbour after a long journey across the Pacific. The 376 people aboard – of Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu faiths – arrived seeking refuge and dignity.
“Canadian authorities however, using exclusionary and discriminatory laws, refused them entry. For two months, passengers were detained on the ship and denied access to food, water, and medical care. When they were forced to return to India, many were imprisoned or killed there.
“The Komagata Maru tragedy is a stark reminder of how, in moments of our history, Canada fell short of the values we hold dear. We cannot rewrite the past, but we must confront it; to act with purpose, to ensure that such injustices are never repeated, and to build a stronger future where inclusion is not a slogan, but a reality – lived, practised, and defended.
“Let this solemn anniversary serve as a call of remembrance and conscience. To honour the past is to learn from it, and to learn from it is to act.”
The American is ugly and impatient.
The steep new import duties would start on June 1, Trump wrote on his social network platform.
The EU “has been very difficult to deal with,” Trump wrote of the 27-nation European Union. “Our discussions with them are going nowhere!”
Trump’s announcement came less than 30 minutes after he threatened to impose a tariff of at least 25% on Apple’s iPhones if the company did not start manufacturing them in the US.
It’s utterly fantastical thinking, true mad-king nonsense. Apple sells a mind-reeling 150,000 iPhones in the US every single day. Not at launch — they sell millions a day then — but just on regular days, like now, in the middle of May. 150,000 per day, every day. Even if Apple tried its best to make US production happen, it would take years and a veritable fortune to build out the infrastructure — not mere factories, but literal city-sized campuses, full of highly-skilled employees who would somehow be convinced to take these tedious repetitive jobs at relatively low wagers. So by the time Apple pulled it off, if they could manage to pull it off, Trump will either be out of office or democracy will have ended in the US. So there’s no real point to even trying.
More at CBC / BBC / NYT / NBC / The Daily Beast / TechCrunch / Quartz
Video » MSNBC
Meanwhile » Tech in Asia » Apple slashes iPhone prices by up to a third in China’s price war
IPhone prices in China have decreased significantly, with discounts of up to 33% on major ecommerce platforms like JD.com and Tmall.
This price reduction occurs amid heightened competition between Apple and domestic brands such as Huawei and Xiaomi.
25% tax on Apple products while singling out the CEO by name for retribution, 50% tax on European goods, expulsion of foreign students, bill passed with most debt in history, while hosting a dinner for people who gave you $300+ million. All in the last 24 hours.
The Golden Age.
— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) May 23, 2025 at 9:50 AM
Chairman Mao announces that he’s increasing the price of iPhones
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) May 23, 2025 at 8:51 AM
