If my kids excel, will they move away?

Article reception and core premise

• Many found the piece clear and non-hostile while still sharply describing how anti-immigrant, anti-academic policies could drive top talent away from US institutions.
• Others challenged its premises: that CMU “needs” immigration to remain elite, that the author’s kids will necessarily be in the extreme tail, and that keeping them nearby justifies large domestic costs such as high rents.

Foreign students, faculty, and US R&D

• Several comments stress how dependent US STEM fields and CS subdomains are on foreign grad students, postdocs, and faculty on visas.
• There’s concern that nativist attitudes would gut US research capacity and make top universities less attractive.
• Counterpoint: some argue foreign talent still desperately wants to come, and claims of US decline or foreign overperformance are overstated.

Reverse brain drain and competing ecosystems

• Detailed examples describe India, Vietnam, South Korea, and China creating Thousand Talents–style programs and specialized institutes, plus generous consulting and startup rules to lure back diaspora.
• Returnees can now get strong salaries, research funding, and equity, making permanent US immigration (with long green-card backlogs) less appealing.
• Some remain skeptical of the hype around India and note that many high-profile returnees eventually come back to the West.

Politics, immigration enforcement, and fear

• A subthread argues current US enforcement rhetoric is designed to instill fear and normalize harsh state power against vulnerable groups.
• Others frame it as performance of political dominance rather than policy necessity, and debate whether responding emotionally “feeds the trolls.”
• Longside discussion contrasts right-wing slogan-based messaging with the left’s more complex, less effective communication, and debates the popularity of Democratic policies.

Educational choices for kids

• Multiple parents report talented students already choosing European or Canadian schools over elite US options, partly due to political climate and perceived attacks on discourse and diversity.
• Some advise not overreacting to one administration, arguing that top US universities are resilient and historically outlast political swings.

Geography, mobility, and life choices

• Several comments note that excelling often means leaving home; some celebrate big-city life and innovation, others lament rural stagnation and poverty limiting opportunities.
• Internal US migration is said to be declining, with high-cost “opportunity hubs” offering weaker net gains than in past decades.