Labour leader Ivana Bacik raised concerns in the Dáil regarding new J1 student visa regulations, which now require applicants to set their social media accounts to public for scrutiny by US authorities. Bacik lamented this as an 'excessive' incursion on freedom of expression, stating that such measures were unthinkable in a western democracy. The discussion was sparked by the recent detention of a young Norwegian tourist due to a meme found on his phone. Minister Jim O'Callaghan expressed regret over the US immigration policies, emphasizing his limitations in influencing them.
We're watching a major incursion on freedom of expression, unthinkable in a western democracy. This week, a young Norwegian tourist was detained by ICE at New York airport and sent back to Oslo.
There's very little I can do about the US immigration system. I'm trying to put rules in the Irish immigration system, I can't control the US immigration system.
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