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home / www.wsj.com / item 47161219
-0.34 Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers (www.wsj.com)
60 points by reaperducer 3 hours ago | 52 comments on HN | Neutral ND · v3.7 · 2026-02-26
Summary Digital Access & Information Gatekeeping Undermines
The URL returns HTTP 401 Unauthorized, blocking access to an article on U.S. migration—a matter of significant public interest. The underlying content remains invisible due to paywall gatekeeping and JavaScript-dependent authentication. Observable structural signals (access restriction, tracking infrastructure, and technical barriers) indicate practices that undermine equitable access to information and privacy protections across Articles 1, 2, 12, 19, and 25.
Article Heatmap
Preamble: -0.25 — Preamble P Article 1: -0.25 — Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood 1 Article 2: -0.28 — Non-Discrimination 2 Article 3: ND — Life, Liberty, Security Article 3: No Data — Life, Liberty, Security 3 Article 4: ND — No Slavery Article 4: No Data — No Slavery 4 Article 5: ND — No Torture Article 5: No Data — No Torture 5 Article 6: ND — Legal Personhood Article 6: No Data — Legal Personhood 6 Article 7: ND — Equality Before Law Article 7: No Data — Equality Before Law 7 Article 8: ND — Right to Remedy Article 8: No Data — Right to Remedy 8 Article 9: ND — No Arbitrary Detention Article 9: No Data — No Arbitrary Detention 9 Article 10: ND — Fair Hearing Article 10: No Data — Fair Hearing 10 Article 11: ND — Presumption of Innocence Article 11: No Data — Presumption of Innocence 11 Article 12: -0.41 — Privacy 12 Article 13: ND — Freedom of Movement Article 13: No Data — Freedom of Movement 13 Article 14: ND — Asylum Article 14: No Data — Asylum 14 Article 15: ND — Nationality Article 15: No Data — Nationality 15 Article 16: ND — Marriage & Family Article 16: No Data — Marriage & Family 16 Article 17: ND — Property Article 17: No Data — Property 17 Article 18: ND — Freedom of Thought Article 18: No Data — Freedom of Thought 18 Article 19: -0.43 — Freedom of Expression 19 Article 20: ND — Assembly & Association Article 20: No Data — Assembly & Association 20 Article 21: ND — Political Participation Article 21: No Data — Political Participation 21 Article 22: ND — Social Security Article 22: No Data — Social Security 22 Article 23: ND — Work & Equal Pay Article 23: No Data — Work & Equal Pay 23 Article 24: ND — Rest & Leisure Article 24: No Data — Rest & Leisure 24 Article 25: -0.45 — Standard of Living 25 Article 26: ND — Education Article 26: No Data — Education 26 Article 27: ND — Cultural Participation Article 27: No Data — Cultural Participation 27 Article 28: ND — Social & International Order Article 28: No Data — Social & International Order 28 Article 29: ND — Duties to Community Article 29: No Data — Duties to Community 29 Article 30: ND — No Destruction of Rights Article 30: No Data — No Destruction of Rights 30
Negative Neutral Positive No Data
Aggregates
Weighted Mean -0.34 Unweighted Mean -0.34
Max -0.25 Preamble Min -0.45 Article 25
Signal 6 No Data 25
Confidence 12% Volatility 0.09 (Low)
Negative 6 Channels E: 0.5 S: 0.5
SETL ND
FW Ratio 62% 13 facts · 8 inferences
Evidence: High: 0 Medium: 6 Low: 0 No Data: 25
Theme Radar
Foundation Security Legal Privacy & Movement Personal Expression Economic & Social Cultural Order & Duties Foundation: -0.26 (3 articles) Security: 0.00 (0 articles) Legal: 0.00 (0 articles) Privacy & Movement: -0.41 (1 articles) Personal: 0.00 (0 articles) Expression: -0.43 (1 articles) Economic & Social: -0.45 (1 articles) Cultural: 0.00 (0 articles) Order & Duties: 0.00 (0 articles)
HN Discussion 8 top-level · 12 replies
OsrsNeedsf2P 2026-02-26 03:20 UTC link
I've lately been asking my coworkers if they would have come to the US if it looked like this back when they were first applying.

Not one of them has answered yes.

hsuduebc2 2026-02-26 03:26 UTC link
Just out of curiosity. The companies let you work remotely from Europe and preserve remote work?
ranger_danger 2026-02-26 03:34 UTC link
How? It's not like people can just decide to move to another country and they will say "sure, come on in!"

Are they getting visas from work or a spouse or something? Surely that does not account for a vast majority of cases?

readthenotes1 2026-02-26 03:36 UTC link
Are they giving up citizenship as well?
rich_sasha 2026-02-26 03:45 UTC link
I wonder what this will do to the US developer salary premium. You could, for reasons I never entirely understood, make so much more money doing the same job in the US than anywhere else. And I don't mean comparing to India or China, but comparable CoL countries in e.g. Europe.

Sure, US is more productive, has bigger tech companies, attracts talent, and not least, their hectocorns are truly making the world a better place with their CRUD apps and REST APIs.

But at these levels of imbalance, already a long time ago I would have expected US companies to move a lot of their software engineering efforts to Europe or India or elsewhere, and it just wasn't happening, despite SE being one of the most remote-able jobs ever.

But now, the trickle of expat workers into the US appears to be drying up, apparently Americans are leaving too. There will be more and more pressure for these companies to hire abroad even for non-monetary reasons (as is already happening) and I fear for my fellow American HNians that they will like paying a fraction of the cost for the same job.

anonnon 2026-02-26 03:50 UTC link
Article is paywalled, but I'm guessing "record numbers" is still quite low in absolute terms.

But regardless, "self-deportation" isn't a bad thing. At the very least, they may appreciate America more after spending time away from it, and if not, then they'll have found a place to live that's more to their liking. And if it becomes a bona fide trend (which it probably won't), it will help--along with reduced legal and illegal immigration, and the natural tendency for conservatives to out-breed liberals, and the high heritability of political attitudes (40-60%)--to solidify America's conservative majority.

WD-42 2026-02-26 03:55 UTC link
On a meta note, this comment section is absolutely littered with flagged and dead comments from fresh accounts. There are certain topics that really bring out the emotions.
UncleOxidant 2026-02-26 03:30 UTC link
Canada is actively recruiting healthcare workers and it's apparently become quite easy to get people to move up. If I were a healthcare worker I wouldn't have to think about it for very long before having the U-Haul loaded up and ready to go.
SlightlyLeftPad 2026-02-26 03:39 UTC link
It could be beneficial to if working abroad because the United States is one of the only countries on the planet that taxes earned wages abroad while offering absolutely zero tangible benefits to those who do, perhaps besides the passport itself.
kalleboo 2026-02-26 03:41 UTC link
I have several US friends who got European citizenship through ancestry. They found a great grandmother or something from "the old country" and by proving their relation to them could get a passport.
pm90 2026-02-26 03:44 UTC link
I moved when Obama was president. I sincerely believed that we were in a post racial world. Imagine my surprise in seeing people proudly flying confederate flags in Austin!

I am still hopeful. While that flag was considered “ok” then, it no longer is anymore, and I rarely see it in the urban areas.

socalgal2 2026-02-26 03:53 UTC link
I don't know why you got downvoted for just asking a question. I'd be curious too. In some countries it's much easy to become a citizen (give up your previous citizenship) than it is to get permanent residency permission (in which you're still technically a citizen of your previous country)
Bender 2026-02-26 03:56 UTC link
There are a few dozen countries that one can buy citizenship. Some require investing in something or starting their own business. Search for "countries that offer citizenship for money". Some places will pay for people to move their under certain conditions and lack of criminal history.
socalgal2 2026-02-26 04:00 UTC link
According to an LLM I asked, about 80 countries have a way in for $$$.

I was superprized it was as high as 80, assuming I can beleive the answer. I knew though that the USA is one of them. Also Singapore, since it was big news when the co-founder of Facebook did it.

peterlk 2026-02-26 04:00 UTC link
I have quite a bit of family in Germany, and have had several friends move from the US to Europe. Europe absolutely knows that they have an opportunity to capture a ton of talent right now. If you have skills that are in demand, basically any country in the Schengen zone will find a way to get you a visa. For example, if you’re a trans researcher, you will find open arms at academic institutions in Europe.

You could also lie and claim your address as a US address, and then just live in another country. This is obviously illegal, but I’ve met a few people who made it work for a while. But I’m also speaking abstractly on the internet, so maybe I’m just making all this up.

mindslight 2026-02-26 04:09 UTC link
because reactionaries deluding themselves that they're "conservative" have such a great track record of coming up with constructive policies </s>. Sorry bro, the actual conservatives are voting D, and there are going to be a whole lot of them based on how much your spite candidate has shamelessly harmed our institutions. If you so desperately want to live in a backwater, you could always just move to one.
MadDemon 2026-02-26 04:10 UTC link
Doesn't 50% heritability mean that it's a coin flip in a 2 party country? So basically no heritability?
ytoawwhra92 2026-02-26 04:14 UTC link
> It's not like people can just decide to move to another country and they will say "sure, come on in!"

Many countries actively try to attract skilled migrants with simple, points-based immigration systems and fast processing times.

Simply having a bachelor's degree, 5+ years of work experience, and fluency in the local language will get you on the fast-track to a permanent working visa in many countries.

HaloZero 2026-02-26 04:14 UTC link
I imagine because the other jobs all around SE isn't as outsourcable. Designs and PM in particular. At some point the timezone pain is not worth the cost savings.
Editorial Channel
What the content says
ND
Preamble Preamble
Medium Practice

No editorial content accessible; HTTP 401 error prevents evaluation.

ND
Article 1 Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood
Medium Practice

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 2 Non-Discrimination
Medium Practice

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 3 Life, Liberty, Security

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 4 No Slavery

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 5 No Torture

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 6 Legal Personhood

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 7 Equality Before Law

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 8 Right to Remedy

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 9 No Arbitrary Detention

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 10 Fair Hearing

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 11 Presumption of Innocence

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 12 Privacy
Medium Practice

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 13 Freedom of Movement

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 14 Asylum

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 15 Nationality

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 16 Marriage & Family

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 17 Property

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 18 Freedom of Thought

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 19 Freedom of Expression
Medium Practice

No editorial content available for evaluation of freedom of expression standards.

ND
Article 20 Assembly & Association

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 21 Political Participation

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 22 Social Security

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 23 Work & Equal Pay

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 24 Rest & Leisure

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 25 Standard of Living
Medium Practice

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 26 Education

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 27 Cultural Participation

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 28 Social & International Order

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 29 Duties to Community

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 30 No Destruction of Rights

No content available for evaluation.

Structural Channel
What the site does
Domain Context Profile
Element Modifier Affects Note
Privacy -0.05
Article 12
Paywall and tracking infrastructure observable; standard commercial news model.
Terms of Service
Not directly observable from error page.
Accessibility -0.08
Article 2 Article 25
Content blocked by paywall and JavaScript requirements; reduces access equity.
Mission +0.05
Article 19
Major news organization with editorial mission aligned to public interest reporting.
Editorial Code +0.04
Article 19
WSJ maintains editorial standards; news reporting on matters of public concern.
Ownership
Murdoch/News Corp ownership; not directly observable from error response.
Access Model -0.12
Article 19 Article 25
Paywall-gated content restricts information access; 401 error indicates subscription requirement.
Ad/Tracking -0.06
Article 12
Captcha-delivery and tracking infrastructure visible; commercial ad targeting.
-0.20
Article 2 Non-Discrimination
Medium Practice
Structural
-0.20
Context Modifier
-0.08
SETL
ND

Access restriction disproportionately affects those unable to afford subscription; compounds existing digital divide.

-0.25
Preamble Preamble
Medium Practice
Structural
-0.25
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
ND

Authentication wall blocks access; paywall-gated content restricts access to information and prevents public engagement with stated article topic on migration.

-0.25
Article 1 Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood
Medium Practice
Structural
-0.25
Context Modifier
0.00
SETL
ND

Paywall-gated access violates equal access principle; content withheld from those without subscription.

-0.25
Article 25 Standard of Living
Medium Practice
Structural
-0.25
Context Modifier
-0.20
SETL
ND

Access gatekeeping by paywall restricts ability of all people to benefit from information on migration and social conditions; economic barrier to information access.

-0.30
Article 12 Privacy
Medium Practice
Structural
-0.30
Context Modifier
-0.11
SETL
ND

Tracking infrastructure (captcha-delivery, ad-targeting cookies) visible; privacy not protected for unauthorized access attempts.

-0.40
Article 19 Freedom of Expression
Medium Practice
Structural
-0.40
Context Modifier
-0.03
SETL
ND

Paywall severely restricts access to information on matter of public concern (migration policy). Structural barrier to receiving and imparting information contradicts Article 19 principles.

ND
Article 3 Life, Liberty, Security

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 4 No Slavery

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 5 No Torture

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 6 Legal Personhood

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 7 Equality Before Law

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 8 Right to Remedy

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 9 No Arbitrary Detention

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 10 Fair Hearing

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 11 Presumption of Innocence

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 13 Freedom of Movement

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 14 Asylum

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 15 Nationality

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 16 Marriage & Family

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 17 Property

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 18 Freedom of Thought

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 20 Assembly & Association

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 21 Political Participation

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 22 Social Security

No content available for evaluation.

ND
Article 23 Work & Equal Pay

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 24 Rest & Leisure

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 26 Education

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 27 Cultural Participation

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 28 Social & International Order

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 29 Duties to Community

Not directly observable.

ND
Article 30 No Destruction of Rights

Not directly observable.

Supplementary Signals
Epistemic Quality
0.03 low claims
Sources
0.0
Evidence
0.0
Uncertainty
0.0
Purpose
0.2
Propaganda Flags
0 techniques detected
Solution Orientation
0.00 problem only
Reader Agency
0.0
Emotional Tone
detached
Valence
0.0
Arousal
0.0
Dominance
0.5
Stakeholder Voice
0.00 0 perspectives
Temporal Framing
unspecified unspecified
Geographic Scope
unspecified
Complexity
accessible low jargon none
Transparency
0.00
✗ Author
Event Timeline 20 events
2026-02-26 05:59 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers - -
2026-02-26 05:56 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers - -
2026-02-26 05:56 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers - -
2026-02-26 05:52 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 268s - -
2026-02-26 05:50 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers - -
2026-02-26 05:48 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 322s - -
2026-02-26 05:47 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers - -
2026-02-26 05:47 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 310s - -
2026-02-26 05:45 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 340s - -
2026-02-26 05:43 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers - -
2026-02-26 05:36 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 248s - -
2026-02-26 05:35 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers - -
2026-02-26 05:33 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 301s - -
2026-02-26 05:31 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 296s - -
2026-02-26 05:27 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 327s - -
2026-02-26 05:26 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 329s - -
2026-02-26 05:26 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers - -
2026-02-26 05:25 dlq Dead-lettered after 1 attempts: Americans Are Leaving the U.S. in Record Numbers - -
2026-02-26 05:25 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 267s - -
2026-02-26 05:24 credit_exhausted Credit balance too low, retrying in 319s - -
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build 59cf82e+tpso · deployed 2026-02-26 02:38 UTC · evaluated 2026-02-26 04:51:33 UTC