I agree that with your sentiment about it being a privilege, not a right. As an immigrant right now, out of school, even getting an H1-B is so hard, that I'd do anything just for that visa. You can at least join a program like Unshackled or become a Global Entrepreneur in Residence at a University while working for you startup. However, the metaphor about it being a prison isn't so farfetched either. It's likes writing book in prison, vs writing it not in prison. You can still write the book - They are just different scenarios.