<p>eK, we don’t do things here by saying, “Well, this is how they do it in China.”</p>
<p>Your link also says that Americans visiting China who aren’t saying in hotels need to register with the police or else be subject to a fine. Do you think that foreigners who come here should have to register with the police? Yuck.</p>
<p>Having lived over seas most of my young life, I can tell you that we are called the “ugly Americans” for a number of reasons, including for using money to buy our way out of tough spots. Just as we are accusing this well to do foreign student of doing. </p>
<p>The whole purpose of a bail is to put a monetary value on what it’s worth to not have the person show up. If this guy decided to forfeit $2million dollars of family money and not return, and sneak out of the country since his passport is in custody, and go through the wrangle all of that is going to cause, plus be on the wanted list in the US for the rest of his life, well, that was the choice we gave him. </p>
<p>We do have a system for dealing with these things, and if the system is showing that it isn’t working, then we gotta fix it. But how many Chinese community college students are causing this kind of trouble in this area? I think there are more serious issues at hand that need addressing, don’t you? Though I guess you could use the bail money, if the bird flies, to make changes so that the next Chinese student who does this sort of thing, sits in the cage until trial, courtesy of county, goes through the trial and gets his punishment, which is, in a case like this, if not plea bargained, or is there going to be inordinant pressure not let such persons plea for the usual fare? </p>
<p>My guess is that the student will end up paying a lot more than the average Joe in this case. I am just guessing–could be that your area is tough on such cases and the guy is really getting away with murder, literally. As Mini has stated, the usual sentences that do not get the media attention are not all that severe. If the parents were sure that he would get the norm, maybe they wouldn’t have put down that $2 million.</p>
<p>“It isn’t too late, because the brain keeps maturing into the early 20’s,…” </p>
<p>Actually, til 45. Then we get really dangerous. ;)</p>
<p>LakeWashington:
“Finally, I believe it is valid to question whether or not the U.S. government or the host college should require some $$ commitment from internationals hoping to study in the U.S.”</p>
<p>Can you suggest how much should the government/host college require?
<p>And since you are at that, can you suggest how much other countries should require when Americans go study abroad: More or less than 2 million?</p>
<p>The way I see it, the case in WA is an outlier, and there are better ways to deal with this than issuing a blanket regulation that cannot possibly prevent super wealthy people to flee without effectively blocking the vast majority of international students to enrolling in US institutions.</p>
<p>It’s like people are complaining because he posted the exorbitant bail. Well, duh, that’s what they asked him to do, and he complied. It’s a sin that he can do so expeditiously? Would it be better if his parents sold their kidneys to post the $2mm? It sounds to me like people are resentful this kid has money.</p>
<p>“What has angered some folks is the apparent ease at which Xu enrolled and then stopped attending school at a local community college”. That makes NO sense at all as many local community colleges are open enrollment and ANYONE can enroll. If you look at their graduation rates, I don’t think that Xu was any particular exception to the rule in having stopped attending there. </p>
<p>I don’t know what could be done in this situation to make it better. Deny him bail because he is a rich foreign student? So all rich foreign students who get into this sort of trouble should not get bail? Should the judge have not granted bail because he was not attending there anymore?</p>
<p>“Incidentally, Americans involved in criminal (and some civil) investigations overseas are ROUTINELY prohibited from leaving the country in question.”</p>
<p>Isn’t that exactly what happened in this case, backed by $2 million in bail?</p>
<p>Mini, I think the situations that are in mind are when an American is thrown in a cage or hole while the case is awaiting trial or some sort of resolution. Yes, it happens too. But, it’s not just the rich Chinese who grease palms to get out of sticky situations, nope, nope, nope.</p>
<p>Yes, if Xu doesn’t flee we can say that the law [the purpose of bail] worked as it should. I never argued that bail should be a punishment. Far from it. In fact, I’m sure the ACLU and other defenders of accused persons can rightfully say that in many instances in American criminal justice, the imposition of bail was misused by judges.</p>
<p>Like I said, this case may not have a solution that pleases everyone. Xu satisfied bail, surrendered his passport and thus was entitled to walk out of court with no restrictions. He might have made bail if the amount had been $5 million, as far as I know. Yeah, the fact that he has means disturbs me. Not enough to deny him the rights that we endow accused persons with, but I am disturbed that he and anyone else of means might be able to evade justice with relative ease.</p>
<p>By the way, slow down a bit and read over some of my comments. My point was not that he was easily admitted to community college. Any fool knows that CCs are essentially open-enrollment based. My point was that apparently he could withdraw from school and be unaccounted for without any investigation by school officials. Is that par for the course for international students in the U.S.? What does a student visa require?</p>
<p>It’s par for the course for ANYONE who comes into this country. A student visa does requires acceptance to a school and enough money to pay for himself here. If someone violates the terms of the visa, getting another one become problematic but we do not have the resources to go after everyone who comes into this country and does not leave when required. Many, many who are here illegally, get in legally and simply do not leave. aa</p>
<p>The schools do not monitor immigration status, in fact, they will take illegals without a question and in some states, mine included, give them state rates of tution if they went to high school here. They only provide the paperwork letting internationals in and whatever else they need. That’s the case everywhere that I know, here in the US. </p>
<p>This guy was here legally I wonder what the outcry would have been if he were here illegally.</p>
<p>And, yes, the way bail works, is that those with money can get out and wait their time till trial at home, while those without it sit it out in jail. Unfair? Yes. Those with the money can hire a skilled attorney, those without have to get a court appointed one that is assigned.</p>
<p>What usually happens in this area when this sort of thing happens1</p>
<p>Heres a similar case, not involving an international student & in a more moneyed part of town.
Bail is set at $2.5 million.</p>
<p>[Judge</a> orders $2.5M bail for suspect in fatal North Seattle crash - Local - MyNorthwest.com](<a href=“http://mynorthwest.com/11/2237023/Judge-orders-25M-bail-for-suspect-in-fatal-North-Seattle-crash]Judge”>http://mynorthwest.com/11/2237023/Judge-orders-25M-bail-for-suspect-in-fatal-North-Seattle-crash)</p>
<p>Although the driver arrested is much less likely to be able to have as much cash on hand as the president of China Tax Net holding company.</p>
<p>Do you think Amanda Knox should also have to put 2.5M Euro bond?</p>
<p>You mean instead of being denied bail?</p>
<p>Amanda Knox is highly unlikely to return to Italy for the trial, and it is highly unlikely the US will allow her to be extradited. You have to be there to have bail set or denied, don’t you, for it to even have it be an issue. That bird’s done flown" as they say in DH’s neck of the woods.</p>
<p>Bail is not supposed to be a punishment. The court’s interest is that he shows up for trial to determine his degree of guilt in this incident. </p>
<p>They can use the bond, a tracking bracelet, and house arrest to do that. </p>
<p>I dont see the point of involving the CC- either he is going to appear at hearings as required or he isnt. Do we seriously think that an intention and a plan to skip out of the country at midnight via some tramp streamer docked in Puget Sound is going to be nixed because he doesnt want the Community College to lose money? </p>
<p>This strikes me as similar to the reaction to Newtown- trying to prevent the unpreventable by providing rational incentives to the irrational. I dont see any way of preventing an irrational teenager from speeding through a residential area. If they want to do it and they have a car at some point they will. Regardless of race, class or SAT scores.</p>
<p>Lakewashington, the way it works for ALL colleges in the US is that any student who applies goes by the college’s admissions rules. For a community college with open enrollment or close to it, just about everyone is accepted.</p>
<p>It then becomes an immigration issue as to whether or not a student can actually come to the college. All a student needs is an acceptance from a college and a certified form showing that he can afford to come,live and attend school here. In this case, with the wealth of the family involved, it would not have been difficult.</p>
<p>As to when immigration is notified if a student is no longer at a school, and what immigration does, that is up in the air. The enforcement of our immigration rules is a big fat joke. They are sporadically enforced. That a student dropped out of community college and is on the loose on a student visa is the least of the problems that immigration has. So there is no one to blame for the kid being here. All seems to be perfectly legit right now. He had his bail paid and gave up his passport. If he chooses to be a fugitive by sneaking out of the country and not showing up for trial, that is his choice. Perhaps a suggestion to the sheriff or whatever law enforcemnt office and courts are involved in all of this that a monitoring ankle device should have been used is in order, but that was apparently not an option the court used in this case. Even those things are not 100% effective if someone really want to flee and has an international sanctuary destination and money to make it happen.</p>
<p>This reminds me of stories of children of diplomats who get into a variety of sources of trouble but are immune from prosecution. I hope if the CC student takes responsibility for his actions.</p>
<p>A comment from the Chinese bloggers had this point.
Family would rather pay $2 million cash than have son sit in jail until court date.
They have now given the other families involved an idea of the depth of their pockets.
Xu’s family does indeed have deep pockets, so are they going to stick around to leave more money in US?</p>
<p>
Argybargy
Tracking bracelets are removeable, especially by people who have places to go.
[N.Y</a>. murder, rape suspect removed and reassembled monitoring bracelet in under a minute* - NY Daily News](<a href=“http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/n-y-murder-rape-suspect-removed-bracelet-1-min-article-1.1292751]N.Y”>N.Y. murder, rape suspect removed and reassembled monitoring bracelet in under a minute – New York Daily News)</p>
<p>Cptofthouse, since Amanda Knox was acquitted before she returned to US, but denied bail before going to trial, i assumed the question about bail was referencing her options when she was originally arrested years ago.</p>
<p>Emeraldkity:</p>
<p>My point is that there is some xenophobia going on on this thread.</p>
<p>Past ideas about schools requesting bonds from foreign students are quite ridiculous, because it is not their role. I am not against courts setting appropriate bond deposits, but this is a different issue, independent on whether the accused is a student or not. </p>
<p>Also, if you want to show indignation when an individual allegedly comitted a crime and can (potentially) avoid consequences, let us not target our indignation only to a particular group of individuals.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>They don’t pay $2M. They are putting up $2M and when he shows up for trial they get it back. They only lose that money if he doesn’t show up.</p>
<p>Not sure if that was a misconception on you or only the bloggers though.</p>