Castle Garden

America’s first immigration processing center—which saw approximately eight million immigrants pass through—has a varied history. It was originally built as a fort in 1811 to protect Manhattan against a possible British attack in the war of 1812, and in 1824 it was renamed Castle Garden and turned into an entertainment complex that hosted such performers as the famed Swedish singer Jenny Lind (the Swedish Nightingale), General Lafayette on his American tour, and the 19th century celebrity, courtesan, and “Spanish Dancer,” Lola Montez, who inspired the songs,“Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets, ” and Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana.”

Following the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815, Castle Garden was converted into an immigration center where the large numbers of European immigrants who were arriving in America could receive lodging and travel information, medical attention, and honest currency exchange. Castle Garden closed as an immigration center in 1892 when the federal government transferred immigration processing to Ellis Island. Reopening as an aquarium, the repurposed Castle Garden drew 30,000 people to look at creatures from nearby waters, and soon the aquarium had species from around the globe. In 1941, the aquarium closed, and the structure was saved from destruction only by the work of concerned citizens who were able to classify the building as a national monument in 1946.

Now these many years later, true to its varied past, Castle Garden has a new use: a ticket booth for Ellis and Liberty Island tickets. God bless America!

Washington Post: “Homeland security secretary tells politicians to cut back on the rhetoric”

At a conference hosted by Latino lawmakers, US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson called for presidential candidates and politicians to tone down the inflammatory rhetoric regarding immigrants and immigration. As reported in the Washington Post, he said: 

All of us in public office, those who aspire to public office and who command a microphone owe the public calm, responsible dialogue and decision-making…Not overheated, over simplistic rhetoric and proposals of superficial appeal. In a democracy, the former leads to smart and sustainable policy. The latter can lead to fear, hate, suspicion, prejudice and government overreach. These words are especially true in matters of homeland security and they are especially true in matters of immigration policy.

Secretary Johnson said despite the perception that the number of undocumented immigrants was increasing, undocumented entries by immigrants into the US have declined overall—despite the recent surge in Central American migrants—to levels not seen since the early 1970s.  

In his speech, Secretary Johnson also decried the suggestion of building a wall on the US/Mexico border, and said that deporting eleven million undocumented immigrants—as Trump and other GOP candidates have proposed—is not feasible. “We’re not going to deport a population equal in size to New York City and Chicago,” he said in the Washington Post. "They live among us, we know them, they’re becoming integrated members of society.”

That said, Johnson recommends that the federal government should invest more in “technology for border security” as well as the ability to have in-country processing agencies in Central America to allow immigrants to more easily and safely bring children or spouses into the country. In addition, he continues to support the Obama administration’s calls for Congress to include a $1 billion aid package for Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras in the next spending bill to address the underlying causes of migration from Central America.

Johnson’s plea for a more civil political discourse comes amid the release of a report that shows immigrants are assimilating and integrating to the US effectively, arguably at a faster rate than previous immigrant generations. The extensive 400-page report, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, examines various factors from English proficiency, education levels, and family structure to health, crime, and employment. The report states:

Across all measurable outcomes, integration increases over time, with immigrants becoming more like the native-born with more time in the country, and with the second and third generations becoming more like other native-born Americans than their parents were. 

The reports also has some other interesting conclusions: integration into American society is happening at a faster pace than with previous generations since many immigrants typically now come to the US with some level of English proficiency; the "increased prevalence of immigrants is associated with lower crime rates—the opposite of what many Americans fear;” lastly, the “least educated immigrants” are “more likely to be employed than comparably educated native-born men, indicating that they are filling an important niche in our economy.”

London Sunset

Sunset in London near Buckingham Palace.

Back in London for business meetings and to see family, I had been enjoying the beautiful autumn weather...until the rain came. But the sunsets. Love a good sunset.

Segmented Realities

Segmented Realities by José Parlá at the Standard Hotel.

Artist José Parlá's recent artwork, titled Segmented Realities, is about immigration, so it's appropriate that it sits kitty-corner from our office in front of the Standard Hotel. Using his hands to shape the thick paint on these concrete slabs, the sculptures represent the translated memories from various places of his upbringing: San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he partly lived as a child; Miami, Florida, where he was born and raised; and Havana, Cuba, where his family originates from. In Document magazine, Parlá says the separate pieces "play the role of immigration" and the sculpture as a whole "carries the history of...who we are as people, who I am as a person[.]" Claire Darrow, creative director for the Standard hotels, likes the contrast between the hotel’s sleek glass and metal architecture with the artwork's rough concrete slabs. “They remind me of what the neighborhood used to be like,” she says in the New York Times, “what’s missing from the neighborhood now.”

All US Embassies and Consulates Will Be Closed on October 9

The State Department informed the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) that due to a Department of State consular systems upgrade, consular operations at all US Embassies and Consulates will be closed to the public on Friday, October 9, 2015. Individuals who already have an appointment scheduled for October 9 will be contacted to reschedule. Application Service Centers (ASCs) connected to certain posts may also experience closures. Applicants should review individual consular websites for additional information in the coming week, and also should prepare for possible delays in visa issuance after this date.