USA: Colleges See Major Racial Shifts in Student Enrollment

Of note:

The Supreme Court ruling in 2023 banning race-conscious college admissions led to declines in Black and Latino admissions at highly selective universities. At many other schools, the opposite occurred, according to a new analysis.

Overall, freshman enrollment of underrepresented minority groups increased by 8 percent at public flagship universities. The analysis, by a nonprofit organization, Class Action, concludes that those schools were among institutions that benefited as a result of higher rejection rates for Black and Hispanic students at the nation’s 50 most selective schools.

At those top 50 schools, Black freshman enrollment was down by 27 percent and Latino enrollment down by 10 percent.

The data from Class Action, which works to promote equity in education, was based on 2024 federal enrollment figures released in January covering more than 3,000 colleges and universities.

Data released publicly by a smaller number of schools have hinted that highly selective schools admitted fewer Black and Latino students following the Supreme Court decision, but the report was one of the first efforts to analyze the impact of the decision on enrollment demographics across a broad swath of the nation’s colleges.

While the data covers only freshman enrollment the first year after the Supreme Court decision went into effect, it bolsters the prediction by some education experts that the decision would create a chain of consequences. Highly qualified Black and Latino students, who might have been admitted to the Ivy League and other similar schools before the Supreme Court decision, enrolled in less-selective schools as a result of the decision, potentially leading to a “cascade” of less-qualified minority students enrolling in even less-selective institutions.

Some research suggests that the phenomenon, called a “cascade” effect and identified in California following a statewide ban on affirmative action in 1998, may have long-term effects on employment opportunities and earnings for the students who ended up in the least selective institutions.

The new report concludes that the Supreme Court decision reduced the number of students of color at institutions with the highest graduation rates and largest median incomes after graduation, a result that the authors said could lead to persistent racial inequities in income….

Source: Colleges See Major Racial Shifts in Student Enrollment

Jamie Sarkonak: New Liberal ‘inclusion’ council heralds more division

Simplistic and overly biased. Better to bring different groups together than have ongoing separate envoys. Of course, selection of members is key, ideally one wants to find persons from the different groups that are not part of a particular advocacy organization but have visibility and credibility from the group. The Cross Cultural Round Table on Security under the Harper government was relatively useful as while some of the members were tied to specific groups, some were not:

….“It seems that the more reconciliation and diversity the government promotes, the more division we get. Nearly half of the country says it’s “time to move on” from residential schools. Half of Canadians are opposed to new immigration. Half of those born outside of Canada believe the country belongs to Indigenous people. Half of Canadians claim to have witnessed systemic racism. These are all stats from 2025. And then, there’s the general vibe: conversations and comments sections seem to be more racially charged than ever.

The Liberal response to the overdose crisis was to give more drugs to addicts, and it left everyone worse off. On social cohesion, they’re doing something similar: put everyone into boxes and make up reasons to treat some of them better than others, and then wonder how society got so divided.

The answer, which Miller’s committee is unlikely to arrive at, is to drop the agenda of discrimination and start promoting Canadian history — not the abridged version that only focuses on dark parts, enclaves, and the legal victories of progressives. If you want Canadians to feel like they are one people, you need to treat them like it.”

Source: “Jamie Sarkonak: New Liberal ‘inclusion’ council heralds more division”

Abolition du PEQ: Recruté par le Québec, courtisé ailleurs au Canada

Articles on the impact of ending the PEQ keep on coming:

…Le ministre Roberge promet désormais l’admission à la résidence permanente des quelque 6300 employés du réseau de la santé touchés. Pour le DBenard et son épouse, cette promesse reste théorique.

Dans le PSTQ, la reconnaissance de ses diplômes n’est pas prise en compte, dit le médecin.

« Au ministère de l’Immigration, on m’a dit que l’évaluation comparative demandée dans le portail Arrima est celle qui est faite par le ministère, Ce n’est pas mon cas, parce que mes diplômes médicaux ont été évalués par le Conseil médical du Canada. Mais on m’a dit que, de toute façon, ça change rien : ça n’apporte pas de points », précise le médecin.

« On m’a dit : “Le problème pour vous, c’est que le système est mal fait puisque vous êtes médecin à Montréal, que vous avez plus de 40 ans et que vous n’avez pas fait vos études au Québec, que vous n’avez pas de diplôme québécois. Donc, vous n’êtes pas reconnu à votre juste valeur par ce système-là”. »

Résultat : aucune invitation à déposer une demande à ce jour.

Pour atteindre le seuil de points plus élevé, il lui manque notamment :

  • Des points pour l’âge – un nombre très faible de points après 40 ans ;
  • Des points liés à la région, Montréal étant moins favorisée ;
  • Des points liés à ses diplômes.

On lui a même recommandé de passer des tests de français pour améliorer son pointage.

« Le français est ma langue. Et le test, c’est 500 $ par tête », note-t-il.

Son score se situe entre 540 et 600 points.

« On nous a dit : “Ne vous inquiétez pas, avec le PSTQ, ça va fonctionner.” Mais la plateforme n’est pas adaptée à notre situation. On est dans le flou », résume-t-il.

Courtisés ailleurs

Pendant ce temps, les offres se multiplient ailleurs au Canada : Ontario, Manitoba, Nouveau-Brunswick, Alberta.

« Le problème, c’est au Québec, insiste-t-il. Quand on se renseigne dans les autres provinces, ils nous font un pont d’or. Ils nous disent clairement : “Si vous venez dans n’importe quelle province, francophone ou anglophone, peu importe, obtenir la résidence ne sera pas un souci.” »

Le couple n’a pourtant aucune envie de quitter Montréal.

« Bien sûr qu’on voudrait rester, dit le médecin. Tout se passe bien. Mais avec le PSTQ, il n’y a rien de certain. Et c’est ça qui est difficile. »

Source: Abolition du PEQ: Recruté par le Québec, courtisé ailleurs au Canada

… Minister Roberge now promises the admission to permanent residence of the approximately 6,300 employees of the health network affected. For Dr. Benard and his wife, this promise remains theoretical.

In the PSTQ, the recognition of his diplomas is not taken into account, says the doctor.

“At the Ministry of Immigration, I was told that the comparative evaluation requested in the Arrima portal is the one made by the ministry. This is not the case for me, because my medical degrees were evaluated by the Medical Council of Canada. But I was told that, anyway, it doesn’t change anything: it doesn’t bring points, “says the doctor.

“I was told: “The problem for you is that the system is poorly done since you are a doctor in Montreal, that you are over 40 years old and that you did not study in Quebec, that you do not have a Quebec diploma. So, you are not recognized at your true value by this system.” ”

Result: no invitation to file an application to date.

To reach the higher point threshold, it lacks in particular:

Points for age – a very low number of points after 40 years;

Points related to the region, Montreal being less favored;

Points related to his diplomas.

He was even advised to take French tests to improve his score.

“French is my language. And the test is $500 per head, “he notes.

Its score is between 540 and 600 points.

“We were told: ‘Don’t worry, with the PSTQ, it will work.” But the platform is not adapted to our situation. We are in the dark, “he summarizes.

Courted elsewhere

Meanwhile, offers are multiplying elsewhere in Canada: Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Alberta.

“The problem is in Quebec,” he insists. When we inquire in the other provinces, they make us a golden bridge. They tell us clearly: “If you come to any province, French-speaking or English-speaking, it doesn’t matter, getting the residency won’t be a problem.” ”

However, the couple has no desire to leave Montreal.

“Of course we would like to stay,” said the doctor. Everything is going well. But with the PSTQ, there is nothing certain. And that’s what’s difficult. ”

Judge approves bid to revoke Canadian citizenship over man’s hidden role in massacre

Right call. Misrepresentation prior to becoming a citizen clear grounds for revocation but crimes committed after becoming a citizen are Canada’s responsibility:

A judge has approved a federal bid to revoke the Canadian citizenship of a former member of the Guatemalan military who took part in the murder of villagers.

In a ruling Thursday, Federal Court Justice Roger Lafrenière said Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes deceived Canadian immigration officials throughout the permanent residence application process and obtained his Canadian citizenship by fraud. 

The federal government went to court in 2017 seeking declarations that would effectively strip Sosa of his citizenship and make him inadmissible to Canada.

Lafrenière granted both declarations.

A bloody, decades-long conflict between Guatemalan government forces and guerrillas intensified in the early 1980s. 

Canada said Sosa, now 67, was a senior member of a military special forces group that led a mission to the Guatemalan village of Las Dos Erres in December 1982 to interrogate residents about some missing rifles. …

Source: Judge approves bid to revoke Canadian citizenship over man’s hidden role in massacre

Saunders – Carney’s choice: Ice out illegal migrants, or treat them like the assets they are

Useful portrayal of the options but of course, the more realistic option from a political and economic perspective is one that is more selective in its application such as those in priority areas. A government that had not frittered away confidence in immigration would have been able to adopt a more expansive approach:

…One approach is to regard the undocumented as a liability. That’s what the United States is doing, to an extreme degree – last year, the Trump administration deported more than 600,000 people.

A Canadian version would be hugely expensive. The estimated cost of deporting one individual from Canada is as high as $14,000 – and that ignores the opportunity cost of depriving the economy of labour, skills, entrepreneurship and investment. Of course, some should be removed: failed refugee claimants, people with criminal or extremist backgrounds, and perhaps undocumented people who are perpetually without employment. Effective deportation is part of a functioning selective-immigration system.

But it would be economically wasteful. The construction industry says it’ll need 300,000 more tradespeople than Canada can provide by the end of the decade – and Mr. Carney’s nation-building megaprojects will raise that number. Healthcare and eldercare have even larger shortfalls. It would be absurd, in this environment, to ship away of hundreds of thousands of processed, screened, settled, integrated and jobsite-trained workers.

That brings us to the other approach: to regard the undocumented as an asset. Under this thinking, the most effective solution to the problem of illegal immigrants is simply to make them legal immigrants.

That’s what Spain did this month, giving permanent residence and eventual citizenship to half a million undocumented immigrant workers all at once, as it has done on a similar scale several times this century with stellar economic results. It’s what many European countries did last year on smaller scales. It’s what Colombia has done for about 3 million Venezuelans who illegally crossed its border. It’s what the United States has done several times in the last half-century, regularizing millions of “illegals.” And it’s been a Canadian policy move, too – a sizable share of Portuguese-Canadians, for example, were undocumented until legislation in the 1970s and 1980s naturalized them….

Source: Carney’s choice: Ice out illegal migrants, or treat them like the assets they are

Face à la dévitalisation, les régions plaident pour l’immigration

Of note. Seeing some similarities in English Canada:

« Abolir le Programme de l’expérience québécoise, c’est fermer nos régions. C’est triste, la façon de voir du ministre de l’Immigration Jean-François Roberge », laisse tomber Vincent Bérubé, maire de La Pocatière.

Comme bien d’autres élus municipaux, il est aux premières loges pour voir les dégâts causés par l’abolition du Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) et le resserrement des permis de travail au fédéral : des entreprises sont en difficulté, des commerces risquent de fermer et des services à la population sont menacés.

M. Bérubé est personnellement touché. Comme propriétaire d’un restaurant, il risque de perdre un chef cuisinier venu s’établir au Québec avec sa famille. « Son contrat de travail finit en décembre 2026. Avec tout le brouhaha… Ça génère chez lui tellement d’anxiété, et chez nous aussi », laisse-t-il tomber.

À quoi bon convaincre un immigrant de s’établir en région avec sa famille, lui trouver un logement et l’aider à s’intégrer, si on ne peut pas lui garantir qu’il pourra rester pour de bon ? se demande le maire de La Pocatière.

Vincent Bérubé, comme les 46 autres membres du conseil d’administration de la Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM), a signé une lettre ouverte à François Legault, à Jean-François Roberge, et qui s’adresse aussi aux politiciens qui convoiteront un poste de premier ministre aux élections d’octobre1….

Source: Face à la dévitalisation, les régions plaident pour l’immigration

Abolishing the Quebec Experience Program is closing our regions. It’s sad, the way of seeing the Minister of Immigration Jean-François Roberge, “says Vincent Bérubé, mayor of La Pocatière.

Like many other municipal elected officials, he is in the front row to see the damage caused by the abolition of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) and the tightening of federal work permits: companies are in difficulty, shops risk closing and services to the population are threatened.

Mr. Bérubé is personally affected. As a restaurant owner, he risks losing a chef who came to settle in Quebec with his family. “His employment contract ends in December 2026. With all the noise… It generates so much anxiety in him, and in us too,” he says.

What is the point of convincing an immigrant to settle in the region with his family, find him housing and help him integrate, if we cannot guarantee that he will be able to stay for good? Wonders the mayor of La Pocatière.

Vincent Bérubé, like the other 46 members of the board of directors of the Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM), signed an open letter to François Legault, to Jean-François Roberge, and which is also addressed to politicians who will covet a position of Prime Minister in the October elections1…

Asylum rulings made without a hearing raise security and fraud concerns, C.D. Howe Institute report says

Of note:

The federal refugee tribunal’s practice of assessing some asylum claims without first questioning applicants could heighten the risk of fraud and weaken security screening, a report by a former director of policy at the ImmigrationDepartment says. 

The report, to be published on Thursday by the C.D. Howe Institute, expresses concern that the Immigration and Refugee Board’s assessment of asylum claims from certain countries without hearings removes an important layer of scrutiny. 

An access to information request by the report’s author, James Yousif, found that between Jan. 1, 2019 and Feb. 28, 2023, the IRB accepted 24,599 asylum claims into Canada without personally questioning the applicants in hearings. 

Mr. Yousif, a former IRB adjudicator, says that practice accelerates decision making, but has not reduced the huge backlog of claims. 

By September, 2025, there was a backlog of almost 296,000 pending cases. 

Under a file-review policy established in 2019, the IRB drew up a list of countries, which was removed from public view in 2020, from where claims could be assessed without an interview, the report says. 

Mr. Yousif argues in the report that all asylum claims should be adjudicated through in-person hearings “without shortcuts.” 

He writes that approving asylum claims without a hearing “may facilitate fraud and encourage more fraudulent claims.”

“Asking questions is also a part of Canada’s security screening architecture and cannot be skipped without increasing national security risks.” …

Source: Asylum rulings made without a hearing raise security and fraud concerns, C.D. Howe Institute report says

‘Birth tourism’ organizer jailed over scheme to bring pregnant Chinese women to US

Not aware of any similar cases in Canada in terms of charges given that there is no such prohibition. However, Richmond had an active cottage industry of services to pregnant Chinese women and any google search indicates a number of lawyers and consultants who offer their services:

A California woman was sentenced Monday to more than three years in prison in a long-running case over a business that helped pregnant Chinese women travel to the United States to deliver babies who automatically became American citizens.

US District Judge R. Gary Klausner gave Phoebe Dong a 41-month sentence and ordered her immediately taken into custody from his federal court in Los Angeles. Dong and her husband were convicted in September of conspiracy and money laundering through their company, USA Happy Baby.

The sentencing came as birthright citizenship has been thrust into the spotlight in the US with the return of President Donald Trump to the White House. Since taking office, Trump issued an executive order to narrow the definition of birthright citizenship, a move quickly blocked by a federal judge who called it “blatantly unconstitutional.”

Dong and her husband, Michael Liu, were among more than a dozen people charged in an Obama-era crackdown on so-called “birth tourism” schemes that helped Chinese women hide their pregnancies while traveling to the US to give birth. Such businesses have long operated in various states catering to people from China, Russia, Nigeria and elsewhere.

Under the 14th Amendment, any child born in the United States is an American citizen. Many have seen these trips as a way to help their children secure a US college education and a better future – especially since the tourists themselves can apply for permanent residency once the children turn 21.

During her sentencing hearing, Dong wiped away tears as she recalled growing up without siblings due to China’s strict “one-child ” policy and told the court that the Chinese government forced her mother to have an abortion. Moving to the US was challenging, she said, but Dong grew hopeful after having children of her own and saw she could help Chinese women who want to have additional children in California.

“I don’t want to lose my kids,” she told the court. “I hope you can give me fair judgment. I will take all my responsibility.”

Federal prosecutors sought a more than five-year sentence for Dong and argued that she and Liu helped more than 100 pregnant Chinese women travel to the US. They said the pair worked with others to coach women on how to trick customs officials by flying into airports believed to be more lax while wearing loose-fitting clothing to hide their pregnancies.

“For tens of thousands of dollars each, defendant helped her numerous customers deceive US authorities and buy US citizenship for their children,” prosecutors said in court filings. They declined to comment after the sentencing.

In December, Liu was also sentenced to 41 months in prison. Dong’s lawyer, John McNicholas, asked that she be allowed to serve her term after Liu completes his sentence because of their three children. The youngest is 13.

Federal prosecutor Kevin Fu agreed to the delay but Klausner refused and had her taken into custody immediately. Dong removed a necklace and gave it to a family member before she was led away.

The USA Happy Baby case was part of a broader probe into businesses that helped Chinese women travel to give birth in California. The operator of another business is believed to have fled to China, McNicholas wrote in court filings, while another was sentenced in 2019 to 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and visa fraud for running the company known as “You Win USA.”

McNicholas said he feels Dong was given a much longer sentence because the government and Klausner blame her for the babies that were born US citizens. That, he said, is unrelated to the allegations that she and Liu helped women travel to the United States to give birth.

“Our position was these children are born in America. They’re citizens,” McNicholas said, adding that Dong will appeal. “Implicitly, he’s saying being born here is not enough.”

Source: ‘Birth tourism’ organizer jailed over scheme to bring pregnant Chinese women to US

L’interdiction des signes religieux affecte l’implication des parents dans les écoles alternatives

Reminder of the collateral damage related to laïcité:

L’interdiction de porter un signe religieux, imposée au personnel scolaire, risque de faire particulièrement mal aux écoles alternatives du Québec, puisque cette directive s’applique aussi aux bénévoles, a appris Le Devoir. C’est que, dans ces établissements, l’implication des parents dans la classe de leurs enfants est obligatoire.

Le 30 octobre dernier, le gouvernement Legault a fait adopter son projet de loi 94, qui visait à renforcer la laïcité dans le réseau scolaire québécois. Depuis, les élèves doivent fréquenter leur école à visage découvert, tout comme l’essentiel du personnel scolaire. Il est par ailleurs interdit aux employés de porter un signe religieux. Une directive qui s’étend « à toute personne qui fournit régulièrement des services » entre les murs d’une école, peu importe leur nature, ou encore qui fournit « des services aux élèves », même de façon ponctuelle et gratuite.

« Ainsi, pour fournir bénévolement des services dans l’école de son enfant dans l’une ou l’autre des situations qui précèdent, le parent doit respecter l’interdiction de port de signe religieux », confirme le ministère de l’Éducation, dans un courriel au Devoir. Une clause de droits acquis s’applique cependant aux parents qui fournissaient déjà bénévolement des services dans l’école de leur enfant avant le 30 octobre 2025, « sauf si l’entente en vertu de laquelle ces services sont offerts est renouvelée après cette date ». Ils devront alors retirer leur signe religieux ou cesser de s’impliquer dans leur école.

Dans de nombreux établissements, cette décision pourrait complexifier le travail du personnel scolaire, comme des directions d’école, la présence de parents bénévoles pour aider au rangement des livres dans les bibliothèques ou pour accompagner des enseignants lors de sorties scolaires permettant d’alléger, quelque peu, les effets de la pénurie de main-d’œuvre, évoquent plusieurs intervenants au Devoir.

« Discrimination par association »

Cependant, c’est dans les écoles alternatives — dont le nombre, en augmentation, approche la cinquantaine au Québec — que cette interdiction pourrait avoir le plus de répercussions. Car, dans ces établissements, l’implication bénévole des parents d’élèves, directement dans la classe de ces derniers, est obligatoire. Certaines écoles demandent d’ailleurs un nombre d’heures minimales d’implication bénévole aux parents.

Ainsi, si un parent ne peut plus s’impliquer dans une école alternative parce qu’il porte un signe religieux, « son enfant ne peut plus aller à cette école-là », relève le porte-parole du Regroupement des comités de parents autonomes du Québec, Sylvain Martel. « On va arriver à exclure des enfants de leur école en raison des croyances religieuses de leurs parents », déplore M. Martel, qui voit là « une sorte de discrimination par association ».

Une situation que dénonce le porte-parole du Réseau des écoles publiques alternatives du Québec, Pierre Chénier, qui a été mis au fait de cette situation par Le Devoir.

« Je trouve ça vraiment déraisonnable », lance-t-il, déplorant que cette interdiction vise ainsi des parents motivés par leur « bonne volonté » et leur « désir d’aider ». « Vraiment, je n’en reviens pas », poursuit M. Chénier. Selon lui, cette directive menace de « faire disparaître le modèle » unique des écoles alternatives, qui cherche « l’inclusion plutôt que l’exclusion ». 

Source: L’interdiction des signes religieux affecte l’implication des parents dans les écoles alternatives

The ban on wearing a religious sign, imposed on school staff, may particularly harm alternative schools in Quebec, since this directive also applies to volunteers, Le Devoir learned. It is because, in these institutions, the involvement of parents in their children’s class is mandatory.

On October 30, the Legault government passed its Bill 94, which aimed to strengthen secularism in the Quebec school network. Since then, students have had to attend their school with their faces uncovered, just like most of the school staff. Employees are also prohibited from wearing a religious sign. A directive that extends “to anyone who regularly provides services” within the walls of a school, regardless of their nature, or who provides “services to students”, even on an ad hoc and free of charge.

“Thus, to voluntarily provide services in his child’s school in any of the above situations, the parent must respect the prohibition of wearing a religious sign,” confirms the Ministry of Education, in an email to Le Devoir. However, an acquired rights clause applies to parents who were already voluntarily providing services in their child’s school before October 30, 2025, “unless the agreement under which these services are offered is renewed after that date”. They will then have to withdraw their religious sign or stop getting involved in their school.

In many schools, this decision could complicate the work of school staff, such as school principals, the presence of volunteer parents to help store books in libraries or to accompany teachers on school outings to lighten somewhat the effects of the labor shortage, say several speakers at Le Devoir.

“Discrimination by association”

However, it is in alternative schools — whose number, increasing, is approaching fifty in Quebec — that this ban could have the most repercussions. Because, in these institutions, the voluntary involvement of parents of students, directly in their classroom, is mandatory. Some schools also require a minimum number of hours of volunteer involvement from parents.

Thus, if a parent can no longer get involved in an alternative school because he wears a religious sign, “his child can no longer go to that school,” says Sylvain Martel, spokesman for the Regroupement des comités de parents autonomes du Québec. “We will be able to exclude children from their school because of the religious beliefs of their parents,” laments Mr. Martel, who sees this as “a kind of discrimination by association”.

A situation denounced by the spokesman for the Réseau des écoles publiques alternatives du Québec, Pierre Chénier, who was made aware of this situation by Le Devoir.

“I find it really unreasonable,” he says, deploring that this ban is aimed at parents motivated by their “good will” and their “desire to help”. “Really, I can’t believe it,” continues Mr. Chenier. According to him, this directive threatens to “make the unique model” disappear from alternative schools, which seeks “inclusion rather than exclusion”.

Carney government replacing Islamophobia and antisemitism envoys with advisory council

Can’t claim credit but it has been something I have been advocating for some time, as separate envoys tend to accentuate differences:

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government said Wednesday that it is eliminating Canada’s special envoy positions on fighting Islamophobia and antisemitism.The positions, which Carney had pledged to keep when he ran for Liberal leadership, will be replaced by a new advisory council on “Rights, Equality and Inclusion,” Culture and Identity Minister Marc Miller said in a news release.

“The Advisory Council will be comprised of prominent Canadians from academia, experts and community leaders with a mission to foster social cohesion, rally Canadians around shared identity, combat racism and hate in all their forms, and help guide the efforts of the Government of Canada,” Miller said, without immediately announcing its membership.

First reported by the Star, the move comes as the Liberal government had been looking to fill the special envoy position on combating antisemitism and Holocaust remembrance after former representative Deborah Lyons retired in July, several months before her term was set to end.

Speaking to reporters following a Liberal caucus meeting, Miller said the new council will address rising polarization and division coming in part due to the war in Gaza, but will still recognize the “specificities” of Islamophobia and antisemitism.

“I think we have to give the opportunity to people to be upset,” Miller said. “I think the focus here, though, is to make sure that we are focusing on the unity of the country, on the division that we know is there that’s been fuelled by a lot of things, and making sure that we have a group of experts that will focus precisely on trying to bring people together.” …

Source: Carney government replacing Islamophobia and antisemitism envoys with advisory council