Boat Dance 2015

On the Hudson River looking at the George Washington Bridge.

Only hours after a huge summer thunderstorm with high winds and heavy rain (there may have even been some hail), our firm hosted our annual boat cruise around Manhattan. There was even some sunshine peeking through the clouds! This cruise, affectionately dubbed the "Boat Dance" by our former paralegal/office manager, Briana, is a great way for our staff to relax a little after a long day of preparing and filing visa cases. And bond. So much employee bonding going on. Success!

URGENT: Some DACA Recipients Who Received Three-Year Work Permits Must Return Them Immediately

US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has urgent news for some recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). A February 16, 2015 court order in Texas v. United States specified that USCIS should continue to approve DACA deferred action requests and related employment authorization documents (EAD) for two-year periods, notwithstanding President Obama’s executive actions of November 20. After Obama’s announcement, USCIS had been issuing certain DACA renewals and EAD cards for the three years specified under the Obama executive action.

Certain 3-year EAD cards mistakenly issued must be returned to USCIS

After the February 16, 2015, court injunction was in place, USCIS mistakenly issued approximately 2,100 EAD cards for a three-year period rather than the allowed two-year period. USCIS has therefore updated their records to reflect a two-year period of deferred action and employment authorization for these affected individuals and has re-issued and mailed out the corrected two-year EADs. USCIS has also notified these individuals that the three-year EADs are no longer valid and must be immediately returned, along with any related approval notices, to their local USCIS office. USCIS is tracking the number of returns of these invalid EADs and continues to take aggressive steps to collect the remaining cards.

Who can keep their 3-year EAD work cards? 

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USCIS has a helpful guide for DACA recipients.

After President Obama’s executive actions regarding immigration reform on November 20 last year, USCIS began to issue three-year EAD cards. The approximately 108,000 three-year EAD cards that were approved and mailed by USCIS after November 20 and received by DACA recipients before the February 16, 2015, injunction date (and that have never been returned or reissued by USCIS) do not need to be returned to USCIS.

Resources to determine if EAD card should be returned

Individuals who are required to return three-year EADs and have not done so will be contacted by USCIS by phone or in-person. USCIS reports that they also may visit the homes of those individuals who have not yet returned their invalid three-year EAD or responded to USCIS's request that they return the cards. USCIS will reportedly attempt to call the individual in advance of any home visit and USCIS employees will always show the individuals their credentials during any visits.

New resources are available at USCIS.GOV to help DACA recipients:

• A new online tool that three-year DACA recipients can use to verify whether they need to return their EAD card;

• A quick facts web page;

• A fact sheet (available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese)

Those recipients who have not been contacted by USCIS and have received a three-year card after February 16, 2015, should use the new online tool or call the USCIS Customer Service line at 1-800-375-5283 to verify whether they are affected before returning the card.

What are the consequences of not returning card?

For those recipients who are required to and fail to return the card, USCIS will terminate DACA and all employment authorizations effective July 31, 2015. Since the consequences of not returning the card is severe, DACA recipients should note carefully if they are required to return their card and speak to an experienced immigration attorney if they have questions.

An Opportunity

Organic Growth Pavilion

Organic Growth by Izaskun Chinchilla Architects (Madrid/London)

A trip to Governors Island, a 172-acre island approximately 800 yards from the southern tip of Manhattan, is a delightful way to spend a summer afternoon. Featuring miles of bike paths, historical reenactments with a canon being fired (fun for the whole family), delicious food, cultural events, and a hammock, this summer the island is also displaying some beautiful outdoor art pieces including the Organic Growth pavilion on the Parade Ground. Taking inspiration from nature and discarded and found materials, the design utilizes broken umbrellas, old stools, and damaged bicycle wheels. The pavilion is composed of elements that can be dismantled and re-used after the summer. "Branches composed of several umbrellas and tripods, can be easily reused as sun, wind, and rain protection in outdoor spaces all around the city. Larger elements can be beautiful indoor chandeliers and can be useful for community centers or other public spaces." The piece is being shown until September 20. If you go, don't forget, the last ferry on the weekend leaves at 7pm. Don't miss it!

Washington Post: "Cuba and U.S. quietly restore full diplomatic ties after 5 decades"

Yesterday marked the official restoration of diplomatic ties, after they were severed fifty-four years ago, between Cold War-foes Cuba and the United States. The historic Cuban Embassy in Washington D.C. (which is quite beautiful) held a small ceremony led by Cuba’s foreign minister Bruno Rodríguez to commemorate the event a few hours after the US State Department added Cuba’s flag to the line of flags for other US diplomatic partners.

The restoration of full diplomatic relations comes after two years of intense, and at times, secret negotiations that involved spies, Pope Francis, and yes, artificial insemination. In a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Rodríguez, Secretary of State John Kerry called it an "historic day; a day for removing barriers." Mr. Rodríguez, in his meetings with Mr. Kerry yesterday, "emphasized that the totally lifting of the blockade, the return of the illegally occupied territory of Guantanamo, as well as the full respect for the Cuban sovereignty and the compensation to our people for human and economic damages are crucial to be able to move towards the normalization of relations."

While some have criticized President Obama's actions regarding Cuba including Marco Rubio who said he would rollback all actions taken by the Obama administration if he were elected president, many others celebrated the restoration of diplomatic ties, the lifting of some travel restrictions and limits on remittances to Cuba, and the removal of Cuba from Washington’s list of state sponsors of terrorism earlier this year. Nonetheless there remain many issues for the two countries to resolve.

The issues, as Mr. Rodríguez stated, include disputes over Guantánamo Bay, the US naval facility used to detain terror suspects, and the ending of the trade embargo, which devastated the Cuban economy. While President Obama supports the lifting of the embargo and closing of the detention center in Guantánamo, both of these require action by the Republican-controlled Congress. As the Senate is expected to oppose the confirmation of any US ambassador to Cuba, President Obama will likely delay the nomination.

Although the US Embassy in Havana is open now, Secretary John Kerry will travel in August to the island and hold an official ceremony. As in Washington D.C. yesterday, there will presumably be a few shouts of “Viva Cuba” and “Viva Fidel.”

I'll Take My Chances

The Blue Lagoon

The Blue Lagoon. Looks nice, right?

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa in a lava field in Grindavík in southwestern Iceland. Originating at 2,000 meters below the surface where freshwater and seawater combine at extreme temperatures, the geothermal water is then "harnessed via drilling holes at a nearby geothermal power plant, Svartsengi, to create electricity and hot water for nearby communities." The geothermal water is composed of three active ingredients—silica, algae, and minerals—and the blue color comes from the way the silica reflects sunlight (algae in the summer may also produce a hint of green), but if the water is poured into a transparent cup, it will have a milky white color! The water is supposed to be great for your skin, but I wouldn't drink it.