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Afghan Girls Robotics Team Allowed To Enter U.S. For Competition (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on from the sense-prevails dept.

An anonymous reader writes: A team of Afghan girls are on their way to compete in an academic robotics competition in the United States after American officials agreed to allow them to enter the country despite initially denying them visas. The reversal reportedly came at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump, Reuters reported.

50 comments

  1. Perfect by Tulsa_Time · · Score: 1

    Deemed not a threat... exception granted... not a big deal.

    --
    5 out of 6 people enjoy Russian Roulette & 6 out of 7 Dwarfs are not Happy
    1. Re:Perfect by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      This is what a little bad publicity will do in the face of a typical government bureaucratic snafu. It's the same thing with other giant corporations. Nothing happens to resolve your issue until your issue becomes an embarrassment to them, and someone high enough up the food chain takes action.

      Anyhow, best of luck to those young women. I hope their experience visiting the US is a positive one, despite the initial circumstances, and that they can make a positive impact on the future of their country.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    2. Re:Perfect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Deemed not a threat... exception granted... not a big deal.

      The only reason they got through was because it became world news.

      A lot of people aren't that lucky and are wrongfully rejected.

  2. So what by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They won't win.

    1. Re:So what by freeze128 · · Score: 2

      What kind of robots will they be using? We nerds want the news! It matters to us!

    2. Re:So what by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They can cook and clean for the other teams.

    3. Re:So what by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My guess is that you will find more impressive DIY robot building projects on pages that actually are for nerds and not just clickbait.

  3. Special Exceptions by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Deemed not a threat... exception granted... not a big deal.

    So all you need is the personal intervention of the President of the United States?

    Our officials were crying in government offices when the immigration ban went through. Because they had to leave people in abject misery who had done everything right. Political posturing is the stupidest way to make immigration decisions.

    1. Re:Special Exceptions by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      That's nice except it has nothing to do with Afghanistan, which is not one of the 6 countries in Trump's ban.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    2. Re: Special Exceptions by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Get the fuck out the country you fucking terrorist. You have your own country,

      Until here you had me confused whether you're an American talking to an Afghan or an Afghan talking to an American.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  4. Any reason why? by l0n3s0m3phr34k · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Anyone know why they got rejected in the first place? That country isn't even on Trump's "list". TFA: "While officials did not comment on the reasons for initially denying the girls visas, the United States often denies visa requests from Afghans over fears that they will refuse to return home." Honestly, when it comes to the US wanting "the best and brightest" these girls are pretty high up on both lists. It would also seem, from TFA, that this allowance is probably from Ivanka appealing to Donald.

    1. Re:Any reason why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone know why they got rejected in the first place?

      Any country, including America, may deny any foreigner entry without any reason. There is no need to explain to the rejected, nor need to explain to anyone else.

      Hence, no matter what would later be claimed to be the reason, you will never know if that was the actual reason.

    2. Re:Any reason why? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      I have nothing to base this on, but if I were a betting man, I'd say it goes something like this: To build a robot and travel to the US from Afghanistan means these girls come from some means. Having money in Afghanistan by purely savory means cannot be easy, given the recent turmoil. My guess is that one or more of their daddy's has either done some unsavory things, or has dealt with some pretty sketchy characters. That doesn't necessarily make them "bad" or dangerous, but it is probably what happened... bureaucrats are good at playing CYA.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    3. Re:Any reason why? by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 0

      Easy: to be able to get a tourist visa, you have to demonstrate that you have ties to your home country and you'll be going back. US State Department assumes anyone coming to America is an illegal immigrant until proven otherwise.

      I bet dimes to dollars these girls are going to ditch their robot projects and make a beeline for the nearest sanctuary city, and will refuse to return to Afghanistan. This is why it's so hard for people from China, India, etc. to get US visas. They have a really bad track record of not going back home.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    4. Re:Any reason why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Visas were apparently denied because these are the very sort of people who's just disappear and not go back home.
      I probably wouldn't want to go home if I were an Afghan woman.
      So what a few intelligent women stay on past their visa expiry time. Big deal.
      They stand more chance of actually contibuting to society in the US than many illegals.
      If they want to stay, let them stay I say.

    5. Re:Any reason why? by jandersen · · Score: 1, Troll

      Anyone know why they got rejected in the first place?

      No, but I think it is possible to make a reasonable guess: When a populist leader has been making these kinds of radical statements - in Trump's case promising to ban all Muslims from entering the US - then there will be a large number of his followers who are more than willing to implement his words, even if the actual travel ban doesn't cover it. The fact of the matter is that nobody has a right to enter any country - it is up to the discretion of the staff at the embassies, the border agents etc., and they know that in most cases, ordinary people won't challenge a decision they've made. In my experience, the American visa staff are in general extremely arrogant - I remember helping my Chinese wife apply for visa to the US; they were more than willing to take the money, but then they dragged the feet for 6 months (by which time it was no longer relevant), and in the meantime, we got treated like suspects for daring to ask how things were advancing. I think we paid something like £300 for even applying, and would probably have had to go to court in order to make a complaint that wouldn't simply have been ignored. In such a setting, it isn't hard to imagine how and why these girls were denied visas.

    6. Re:Any reason why? by cahuenga · · Score: 1

      No, the original story stated there was no cause given.. Of course here at Slashdot the prevailing excuse from Trump apologists was the risk that they might do "something", which somehow made sense to these people. Do we now form policy around your-out-of-your=ass fantasies?

      Interesting times

    7. Re:Any reason why? by dbIII · · Score: 2

      Having money in Afghanistan by purely savory means cannot be easy, given the recent turmoil

      Ah yes, the "all Americans are gangsters" thing shifted to another place and time.
      You probably don't even know you are doing it.

    8. Re:Any reason why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No cause needs to be given. They were likely linked by some obscure way, or in a very direct way, to a known terrorist.

      If you don't think that's right, or don't like the current policy, you can always run for office and change it, or vote for someone that will.

    9. Re:Any reason why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Anyone know why they got rejected in the first place?

      Any country, including America, may deny any foreigner entry without any reason. There is no need to explain to the rejected, nor need to explain to anyone else.

      This is wrong, you need to explain if you want to be believed you aren't acting capriciously, based on the less than scrupulous attitudes promulgated by a chief executive with a less than savory reputation towards diligent and deliberate action.

      The fact is, Trump, and his minions, such as Jeff Sessions, Betsy Devos, and Rick Perry, have created an appearance where their actions simply are not trusted, but suspected.

      Thus there is a need. You may be thinking of a legal obligation, but that's different from your assertion that there is no need, there is one.

      Hence, no matter what would later be claimed to be the reason, you will never know if that was the actual reason.

      Your logic doesn't actually follow, you left out a cause for not knowing if that was the actual reason. Which could be established, but you left that out. You could have asserted that the Trump administration is known for its prevarications and that I'd believe, but you failed to robustly present your logic.

    10. Re:Any reason why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it's right. It's the law.
      Shadilay.

    11. Re:Any reason why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No cause needs to be given.

      Most of us don't appreciate the government behaving capriciously, so there is a need to explain, otherwise you have a problem, especially with a less than scrupulous chief executive creating an attitude that is less savory than might be warranted.

      They were likely linked by some obscure way, or in a very direct way, to a known terrorist.

      Or somebody just decided to reject them because they could, and never realized it'd become a media story.

      If you don't think that's right, or don't like the current policy, you can always run for office and change it, or vote for someone that will.

      Or I can object in some other manner, as I see fit. It's a free country, after all.

    12. Re:Any reason why? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it's right. It's the law.
      Shadilay.

      Nope, it's wrong, since you're relying on a presumption of the rectitude of the law to eliminate a need, but actually, bringing this excuse up increases the need to explain, because that's the sort of bluster a person would offer if they can't give a reasonable explanation.

      This sort of lack of forthrightness is the attitude that creates more problems, not less. It is evasive and contrary to establishing a confidence in the appropriateness of the decision-making process.

    13. Re:Any reason why? by MightyYar · · Score: 1

      I'm fully aware how politically incorrect that statement is, and I even was very upfront with how I have no information at all to support my bias.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    14. Re:Any reason why? by jandersen · · Score: 1

      When I see that one of my posts has been downgraded like this one, with no follow-up comments, it seems clear to me that I have hit a nerve with some individual, who is unable to explain why he/she disagrees with my comments. I know some will try to claim that I'm just suffering from hurt pride, but not really - if anything, it shows that my comments provoked a response, and seeing that the 'score' is now "1, Troll", it means that there must have been at least 1 other person who felt I should be bumped up. However, I'd much rather see myself challenged by intelligent arguments; the absence of it is what worries me, since what any nation needs, especially at this time, is intelligent people, who care enough about what goes on to contribute to the debate.

  5. Thank you Donald! by NaCh0 · · Score: 0

    One benefit of having a President who watches the news is that he becomes aware of issues that his white house staff filters out as not important. He did the right thing by stepping in to help these young engineers out.

    Thank you President Trump!

    1. Re:Thank you Donald! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      LoL. You're thanking Trump for cleaning up a mess that he himself created. Way to go Scooter.

    2. Re:Thank you Donald! by idji · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Don't welcome this - this is not a good development. In a functioning democracy there are appropriate channels to get permissions and make things happen. In a dictatorship lobbyists, diplomats and sycophants try to get the dictator's ear and his yes to get whatever they are seeking for. The US is turning this way. Companys already know that the way to get Donald's attention is to make Fox talk about it or be the last person in the room before he makes a decision. This is not going well. These Afghan girls should not have needed a presidential intervention to get in to the USA - it is a sign that the rule of law is falling apart.

    3. Re:Thank you Donald! by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      If he actually watches the news. Often he's watching some conspiracy outlet disguised as news.

    4. Re:Thank you Donald! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Companys already know that the way to get Donald's attention is to make Fox talk about it or be the last person in the room before he makes a decision.

      It looks like a lot of people knows that.
      Latest news is that Fox is taking Russian money too.

    5. Re:Thank you Donald! by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Odds are they would never have had a problem getting into the country before Trump.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    6. Re:Thank you Donald! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think he watches that much CNN...

    7. Re:Thank you Donald! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You do realize that the US is not and never has been a democracy, right?

    8. Re:Thank you Donald! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Odds are", "I bet that" and such are pretty lame ways to assign speculative blame to someone who didn't do the thing you are blaming them for.

      I have no love for Trump, but I also hate when people make up scenarios that confirms their bias. You, sir, do not know that "they would never have had a problem getting into the country before Trump", unless you think that people from Afghanistan get rubberstamped US tourist visas. You're probably aware that Afghanistan wasn't even on the list of countries on the ban that was blamed for their initial denial.

      I am curious what you think Trump or the government should have done after the initial visa denial, to make this for a positive story for you people.

    9. Re:Thank you Donald! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Odds are", "I bet that" and such are pretty lame ways to assign speculative blame to someone who didn't do the thing you are blaming them for.

      I have no love for Trump, but I also hate when people make up scenarios that confirms their bias.

      So you say, but you seem to have a fondness for it yourself. And you haven't exactly put forth your own bonafides on not loving Trump either.

      You, sir, do not know that "they would never have had a problem getting into the country before Trump", unless you think that people from Afghanistan get rubberstamped US tourist visas.

      You, sir or madam, as the case may be, don't seem to realize that the term used indicates belief, not knowledge, and that that belief, whether your like it or not, actually arises from Trump, and his own messaging, is something you really should admit. You see, when people's distrust is earned, it doesn't do much good to deny it.

      Trump, and his people, of course, did not, and would not, which is why they've got a credibility problem, across the board.

      Add in your own scenario of "rubberstamped" US tourist visas, and it seems like you're also ignoring the complaint that Trump has fostered an attitude that they'd expect the rejection to be a matter of course, not a cause for concern.

      You're probably aware that Afghanistan wasn't even on the list of countries on the ban that was blamed for their initial denial.

      You're probably aware that being on the list of countries on the ban, or not, doesn't stop the rest of the government from behaving in a particular fashion that is also reflective of the nature of the ban itself.

      I am curious what you think Trump or the government should have done after the initial visa denial, to make this for a positive story for you people.

      Ah, you mean how could they do a proper "mea culpa" on this? Commenting on the reasons would be good. Perhaps a punishment might be in order.

      But perhaps you should reflect on what Trump should have done or not done, in order to establish some credibility beforehand. Once you get into the "after" then you're stuck with a mess that has to be cleaned up, and that's usually harder, by far, than not doing it in the first place.

      All this defensiveness, is not as effectual as you may think. Rather the opposite.

    10. Re:Thank you Donald! by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 1

      The president has the constitutional power of clemency, and you think this minor intervention in an entirely internal bureaucratic affair (in a department which his office administers) heralds the breakdown of the rule of law? That's a hell of a stretch.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    11. Re:Thank you Donald! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The president has the constitutional power of clemency, and you think this minor intervention in an entirely internal bureaucratic affair (in a department which his office administers) heralds the breakdown of the rule of law? That's a hell of a stretch.

      A stretch? No. A bit of an inaccuracy, perhaps, as I'd say it's a hallmark, not a herald. We've already had more than a few questionable pardons throughout American History, but this is more on the side of...why is this even necessary? Why does it have to buck up to the top?

      It might not be so bad if not for all of the other indicators, but it's one more pebble that is part of the avalanche.

  6. Magnanimous Emperor grants favors by jandjmh · · Score: 1

    His whim, his rule

    1. Re:Magnanimous Emperor grants favors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      His whim, his rule

      I guess maybe in hindsight it wasn't such a great idea to let Obama go wild with his "pen and phone" and expand the power of the Executive Branch/POTUS like we all tried to warn you about at the time, those warnings that you helped shout-down instead of heed because it suited your agenda at the moment, eh?

      Team jerseys in politics causes blindness, stupidity, and insanity, and will eventually lead to the collapse of a nation whose population is immersed in it.

    2. Re:Magnanimous Emperor grants favors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess maybe in hindsight it wasn't such a great idea to let Obama go wild with his "pen and phone" and expand the power of the Executive Branch/POTUS like we all tried to warn you about at the time, those warnings that you helped shout-down instead of heed because it suited your agenda at the moment, eh?

      Well, nope, because you'd have to believe that any such thing would somehow have been prevented or deterred if Obama hadn't made his own bit of rhetorical posturing. Given Trump's domineering attitudes, I certainly can't engage in pretending that he would have the slightest reluctance or chagrin, and his apologists would defend every bit of it, and would instead attack Obama for his purported humility and meekness.

      Team jerseys in politics causes blindness, stupidity, and insanity, and will eventually lead to the collapse of a nation whose population is immersed in it.

      Oh? Are you wearing the GOP one?

      That would explain why you believe Obama actually went "wild" with his "pen and phone" and try to use it as an argument, all too similar to the hypocritical way that the GOP is suddenly behaving towards Democrats in the Senate, or even just the very nature of the whole Trumpcare process, where the actual secrecy and obstruction is now coming from the GOP that spent years whining (falsely) about being shut out of the Affordable Care Act.

      You see, even if by chance, you are genuine in your sentiments, the problem is that the number of GOP stalwarts who have appropriated your message means that people with perception, wit, and reason will recognize that your message is contaminated by the misuse it has already been taken. You probably want to point that out in the future, at least if you want to have a greater chance of being believed, since acknowledging that it has been misappropriated will give you some demonstrated establishment of your own awareness of the true scope of the problem.

    3. Re:Magnanimous Emperor grants favors by colinwb · · Score: 1

      I guess maybe in hindsight it wasn't such a great idea to let Obama go wild with his "pen and phone" and expand the power of the Executive Branch/POTUS like we all tried to warn you about at the time, those warnings that you helped shout-down instead of heed because it suited your agenda at the moment, eh?

      Arguably Obama was the USA President who in recent time made the least use of executive orders(*). It's piquant that the President making least use of executive orders since 1945 is a Obama, a Democrat; that the President making most use of them is Truman, also a Democrat; and that the President currently with the second most frequent use of executive orders is Trump: but is he a Republican?

      Executive Orders 9538-10431 number 894; 2.2 per week in 7.78 years Truman
      Executive Orders 13765-13803 number 39; 1.56 per week in 0.48 years Trump
      Executive Orders 11967-12286 number 320; 1.53 per week in 4 years Carter
      Executive Orders 10914-11127 number 214; 1.4 per week in 2.84 years Kennedy
      Executive Orders 11798-11966 number 169; 1.3 per week in 2.45 years Ford
      Executive Orders 11128-11451 number 324; 1.20 per week in 5.17 years Johnson
      Executive Orders 11452-11797 number 346; 1.19 per week in 5.55 years Nixon
      Executive Orders 10432-10913 number 482; 1.15 per week in 8 years Eisenhower
      Executive Orders 12287-12667 number 381; 0.91 per week in 8 years Reagan
      Executive Orders 12834-13197 number 364; 0.87 per week in 8 years Clinton
      Executive Orders 12668-12833 number 166; 0.80 per week in 4 years GHW Bush
      Executive Orders 13198-3488 number 291; 0.70 per week in 8 years GW Bush
      Executive Orders 13489-13764 number 276; 0.66 per week in 8 years Obama

      (*) I'm aware - oh, all right, I've just found out - that there are also Presidential memoranda ("closely related [to executive orders and also] have the force of law on the Executive Branch"), determinations, proclamations, notices and Sequestration Orders, and that, for example, Obama issued 644 Presidential memoranda, but I'll it to someone else to make a comparative table of those.

  7. How times change by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    In old /., we'd have gotten a story about the robots they made and what the competition had to offer, what the challenge is and maybe an interview with them on their strategy, with a tacked on foot note that they may finally enter the country.

    In new /., we get a story about them being now allowed to enter the country. No, nothing about the actual robots, why are you asking?

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  8. Robots? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Why are people now calling remote control devices robots? THEY ARE NOT ROBOTS.

  9. Was This Back-Dated? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Currently, this story is in between the "Google To Replace SMS Codes With Mobile Prompts in 2-Step-Verification Procedure" and "Popular Chrome Extension Sold To New Dev Who Immediately Turns It Into Adware". Last night, it did not exist, but the other two did. What gives? I'm not trying to imply that this is a story worth paying attention to (nor am I implying that it isn't), just seems weird to me to back-date a story like that.

  10. SJW FTW! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    After all, we can't have this site all about tech, that is somehow racist/sexist/mysoginist/ignoramousist against non-sciencey/techie types. So we must have our daily doses of social justice!

  11. God Damn It! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not putting my internet outrage back in a box. It's out and I don't care if the circumstances have changed you're all just going to have to deal with it.

    I'm outraged! I was outraged that they were denied entry. I was outraged that I was expected to care. And, now I'm outraged that they have reversed their decision in an obvious attempt to make me and my outrage look like the ravings of a mad man.

    Nonetheless, I remain outraged at the entire thing and there's no putting it back in a box!

  12. cant wait for the group photo by bobmajdakjr · · Score: 1

    you know trump is going to want his photo taken with them as proof it was his âoespecial requestâ lol those girls are really gonna enjoy that.