By Hans Wilder, Watertown NY
Ladies and gentlemen, gather round for today’s dose of America’s finest irony. In Newport, Vermont, a Border Patrol agent was killed, and the shooter? None other than Felix Bauckholt, a German national who overstayed his H1-B visa and thought it was a passport to murder. He came for a tech job, stayed illegally, and decided that bullets were better than code reviews.
This tragic comedy highlights the absurdity of our visa system. We invite folks on H1-B visas to “fill critical gaps,” but the real gap might be in basic vetting and enforcement. This guy’s visa expired in 2022, but somehow, no one seemed to notice. Meanwhile, Big Tech lobbies for more of these visas. Guess they need engineers who can also dodge immigration law and Border Patrol bullets.
And let’s not forget, this isn’t some rinky-dink visa violator. Bauckholt worked with “VIP” quant trading firms, rubbing elbows with the financial elite. That’s right: the same crowd who’ll tell you your tax dollars should fund their bailouts when the market tanks. It’s like hiring the fox to guard the henhouse, only this fox traded the henhouse for a Glock.
Of course, the media isn’t exactly rushing to tell you Bauckholt’s country of origin. Why admit this wasn’t some “southern border crisis” stereotype but a techie from Europe? It’s easier to scream about walls than to talk about overstayed visas and loopholes big enough to drive a Tesla through.
President Trump was right about fixing this system. Build the wall, yes, but also build the accountability. Deport the criminals, streamline the process for legal immigrants, and hold Big Tech accountable for importing rule-benders under the guise of innovation. Because if innovation means murder, America’s better off with a little less “disruption.”
And here’s the kicker: while Bauckholt overstayed and allegedly killed, hardworking Americans were ignored. Veterans can’t get healthcare; middle-class families can’t get relief from inflation. But Big Tech got their guy. For a while, anyway. Maybe next time, Silicon Valley will “innovate” by respecting U.S. immigration law.
So, here’s to Felix Bauckholt: the poster child for what happens when broken systems collide. May justice be swift, and may this serve as a wake-up call for America.
