Latest news with #AndrewWalsh
The Journal
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
We asked students queuing outside the US embassy what they make of new visa social media checks
JUST OVER A dozen people were queuing for visa applications when the US Embassy opened at 9am this morning. It was a mixed group – a family of three, several middle-aged workers and a handful of students awaiting interviews for J1 visas. The smaller crowd was not surprising. There has recently been a 25% drop in young people travelling from Ireland to the US on student visas, according to US authorities. Processing of new visas for students was also suspended last month, as Donald Trump's administration ramps up vetting. New protocols now require international students, including Irish students travelling on a J1 visa, to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to 'public' . Yesterday, the Dublin embassy said yesterday that all future visa applicants will also be required to divulge 'all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years' on their visa application form . Among the students outside the embassy this morning was Éamon, who is heading to study in the US as part of an Erasmus programme. He's currently applying for a J visa, the most common visa used by Irish students heading to the US. 'It is a small bit invasive that you have to go public with your social media accounts,' Éamon said. 'I had decided last year that I was going to study in the States. It would definitely be different if you're going on a J1 working holiday.' Éamon outside the US Embassy. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal He later conceded that he 'did not have a problem' with the recent changes to US visa application checks, adding: 'They're just trying to protect their country'. This sentiment was echoed by Jack, another student in the queue waiting on an interview for a J1 application to head to Pennsylvania. 'There shouldn't be too much of an issue, because I think a lot of people don't really have their whole lives on social media,' he said. 'America has the right to deny anyone who comes in, but I suppose it's a wee bit dodgy'. Ailbhe, another J1 visa hopeful, told The Journal that the application process was 'straightforward', but added that recent restrictions were 'a little worrying'. 'I suppose I'd be worried if I had private accounts, or if I was posting more,' Ailbhe said. 'It will definitely affect some people that I follow that would post more activist content'. 'An absurd situation' National students' union Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ) urged caution yesterday, advising those applying for J1 or other US student visas to stay informed and to be mindful of their online presence. The union criticised new visa measures as an overreach into students' private lives, warning they threaten free expression and represent an increase in online surveillance. Advertisement 'Students shouldn't face invasive scrutiny just for pursuing education abroad,' said AMLÉ deputy president Bryan O'Mahony, adding that the changes foster fear and self-censorship, and may disproportionately impact marginalised or politically active students. CCTV cameras at the US embassy in Dublin. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal Trinity Students' Union President Jenny Maguire said the new visa social media checks were a 'fundamentally undemocratic move' by the US. 'I still think that the J1 visa is held in high regard here, but it's just not an option for so many people,' Maguire said. She said that the new stricter vetting process posed a risk of activists in Ireland censoring their content, adding: 'This is an attempt to curb and suppress political opposition.' It is an absolutely absurd situation and it cannot be normalised. 'I personally would not risk going on a J1, and I think that's awful,' Maguire said, adding that activists, academics, minority groups and LGBTQ+ people in Ireland now face an uphill battle entering the US to work. Boston-bassed immigration lawyer John Foley told RTÉ Radio 1′s Claire Byrne show this morning that students 'should be worried'. 'They're going back five years, so these students would have been young teenagers at the time. There's no telling what they're looking for, and there's no telling how they'll be treated once they get to the embassy,' Foley said. Foley explained that J1 hopefuls now have to hand over all of their social media usernames and passwords going back five years, and said: 'If you don't list them, and they catch you, you'll be denied, and you'll possibly be banned from coming to the US.' 'It doesn't solve a problem that exists,' Foley said. 'It's Trump doing what Trump does. He creates a problem and then he solves it with some ridiculous administrative move that is not going to work. 'It's simply going to slow things up. Gum things up, spread fear, and then he'll come to the rescue by getting rid of it somewhere down the road,' Foley added. US embassy delays It's understood that fewer than 100 J1 visa applications were going through the system when changes to vetting procedures were first announced last week. According to US embassy staff, the focus is now on applications from students who have applied to study in America in September for the next academic year. As a hiring freeze came into place at embassies when Trump was elected, and there are now additional vetting procedures, it's expected that the processing of appointments will be slower. In the statement yesterday, the US Embassy said that a visa 'is a privilege, not a right' for travellers and that every visa decision was a 'national security decision'. Taoiseach Micheál Martin said yesterday that the new social media checks are 'excessive', adding that 'there is an issue around freedom of speech'. 'It's more the atmosphere that's created by these measures, the fear and the anxiety that young people will now experience travelling,' Martin said. The embassy said it will resume scheduling F, M, and J non-immigrant visa applications soon. Additional reporting by Eimer McAuley Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Journal
Are you going to Dublin this weekend?
IT IS A busy weekend of sport and music in Dublin. Reporter Andrew Walsh has tallied up all the events taking place in the capital this weekend, and how to get ther e. Advertisement Concerts, major sports matches, protests and demonstrations are all scheduled. There's plenty on for everyone right, in Dublin and around the country (looking at you, Donegal Rally). Today, we'd like to know… Are you going to Dublin this weekend? Poll Results: No, I'm staying at home this weekend (116) Yes, I live in Dublin (61) Yes, I'm going to a concert/match/protest/all-of-the-above (15) Yes, I'm going to a concert/match/protest/all-of-the-above Yes, I live in Dublin No, I'm staying at home this weekend Vote
The Journal
10-06-2025
- The Journal
OPW says it will make a report to gardaí after staff confronted by Castletown House protestors
THE OFFICE OF Public Works (OPW) said today that it will make a report to gardaí after claiming that several members of staff were confronted by protestors near Castletown House in Co Kildare this morning An OPW spokesperson said that shortly after 7am, contractors on site were 'verbally harassed' by members of the public, after a service vehicle accessed the Castletown estate via the contested Lime Avenue entrance. The OPW announced last week that essential contractors and supplier vehicles would begin using Lime Avenue, a 3.5-metre-wide predestrian pathway, daily from yesterday. The move is opposed by local public representatives and community groups, including the Save Castletown Gate Protectors. Protesters say Lime Avenue, which links Castletown House to Celbridge town, is not suitable for vehicles and would put vulnerable pedestrians at risk. The OPW attempted to begin sending service traffic down the path yesterday, sparking a peaceful confrontation with at least 30 locals at the gate, with gardaí in attendance , but in the end no vehicles entered via Lime Avenue. This morning's dispute in part centred on whether OPW service vehicles should be accompanied. The OPW had previously agreed that service vehicles would be escorted by a small diesel buggy driving slowly at 10km/hr to ensure the safety of people nearby. However, this morning a service vehicle entered Lime Avenue without this escort. Gardaí were called to the scene of the protest yesterday. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal Save Castletown Gate Protectors said this was a breach of public trust and disregard for prior safety commitments. Advertisement 'This morning shows neither the OPW nor the minister can be trusted,' the group said. However, the OPW said the vehicle went in at 7am, which is an hour and a half before the Lime Avenue gate officially opens to the public. Therefore, 'there was no requirement for the vehicle to be accompanied', the OPW said. It is possible to gain entry to the estate near the gate, even when it's not open. An OPW-owned diesel buggy pictured on Lime Avenue yesterday. Andrew Walsh / The Journal Andrew Walsh / The Journal / The Journal The OPW added that it will not tolerate any 'harassment of staff or contractors' on its properties. 'The OPW respects the rights of the community to protest peacefully. However, all workers have a right to dignity and respect in their workplace,' the OPW said. 'It is not possible to maintain a house of national historic significance and an estate of 227 acres without essential vehicles. In order to open Castletown House and to open the estate from dawn to dusk, access for these vehicles and services is required,' it said. In a statement to The Journal , the gate protector group said that one of their members spoke to security at the house this morning, enquiring if he was aware that service vehicles needed to be escorted. 'There was a discussion, it certainly wasn't abuse,' the group said. 'Should the Gardaí feel the need to discuss this further with us, we are more than willing to do so,' they added. The OPW previously used an entrance close to the M4 for service vehicle access to Castletown House, though the privately-owned pathway was closed off in 2023. This has led to over 19 months of protests, as the OPW have scrambled for a new access route for service vehicles . Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Independent
09-06-2025
- The Independent
2 people killed in shooting on Las Vegas Strip near Bellagio fountains, police say
Two people were shot and killed late Sunday on the Las Vegas Strip, not far from the landmark Bellagio fountains, in what authorities said was being investigated as an 'isolated incident' between people who knew each other. Las Vegas police Undersheriff Andrew Walsh told reporters in a briefing that a possible suspect had been identified and that investigators were working to find and apprehend that person. Walsh said the suspect and at least one of the victims had been feuding on social media. Officers on patrol heard gunfire and then found two people lying on the sidewalk, Walsh said. They were pronounced dead at the scene. Police didn't immediately identify them. The shooting happened on one of the busiest stretches of the Strip. The dancing Bellagio fountains, which soar up to 460 feet (140 meters) into the air, play every 15 minutes on the weekends between 8 p.m. and midnight.
The Hill
09-06-2025
- The Hill
2 killed in shooting near Bellagio Fountains on Las Vegas Strip
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Two people are dead and the suspect is at large following a shooting in front of the landmark fountains at the Bellagio Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip. The shooting was reported around 10:40 p.m. Sunday when two Las Vegas Metropolitan police officers discovered two people with gunshot wounds on the sidewalk, according to Undersheriff Andrew Walsh. He said the officers had been on routine patrol when they heard gunfire and ran toward the area. Both gunshot victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Walsh said the suspect is known to police but not in custody, and the shooting is an 'isolated incident' that stemmed from a conflict between the suspect and the victims. 'The suspect and victim had previously engaged in some type of conflict using a variety of social media platforms,' Walsh said. Witnesses told Nexstar's KLAS that they saw the shooter throw the gun in some bushes, and police recovered it. Video of the purported shooting posted on social media showed a man with a gun pointing toward another man off camera. KLAS has not verified the authenticity of the video. Police said there was a Zoox robotaxi in front of the fountains at the time of the shooting. Those vehicles have wrap-around exterior cameras. Part of Las Vegas Boulevard was closed until around 5:30 a.m. Monday. The identities of the shooting victims were not immediately released. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
