[MITfather]

1. You’re right that readers can’t independently verify this, and I don’t expect blind trust. I’m sharing what my friend and his family experienced as accurately as I can. They’re consulting attorneys, which limits what can be publicly documented right now. If people choose to discount the story on that basis, that’s understandable, I’m mainly hoping to hear from those who’ve dealt with similar situations or know what practical steps exist.

2. I’m not trying to generalize from a single incident or claim this is universal behavior. The point isn’t “this always happens,” but that it can happen, and when it does, the consequences for a family are severe. I’m asking how others would respond after a specific, extreme experience, not making a statistical argument.

3. I don’t see this as pushing a political agenda. This is about personal safety, legal recourse, and career decisions for a highly skilled person deciding whether to continue building a life in the US. Those are questions many people in tech—especially immigrants—face, regardless of political views.

I appreciate people engaging critically, and I’m genuinely looking for thoughtful, experience-based input rather than agreement.