Taking my shoes off at airport security is one of my biggest pet peeves (apart from waiting in long lines). While it’s certainly understandable that in a post-9/11 world, security must be tight, for frequent travelers waiting in long security lines and dealing with restrictions on carry-on items are some of the least pleasant aspects of flying (and that’s including airline food). And the restrictions keep coming. Most recently, the Trump administration barred passengers on foreign airlines headed to the US from ten airports in eight majority-Muslim countries from carrying “personal electronic devices (PEDs) larger than a cell phone or smart phone,” and US officials have even discussed expanding the ban to include flights to the US from Europe. Who knows what might come next.
Read moreNew York Times: “Immigrants Triumph at the Oscars of American Fashion”
Every June the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) honors the best in fashion design at the CFDA Fashion Awards. Established in 1981, these awards are the “highest honor” in fashion honoring outstanding contributions to American fashion in women’s wear, men’s wear, and accessories, as well as journalism and lifetime achievement, among other categories. The event, held last week, celebrated not only some of the world’s greatest fashion designers working in America, but also importantly, immigrants. “Fashion is an industry where the real insiders are all outsiders,” Pat McGrath, British makeup artist and winner of the Founder's Award, told the crowd. That statement was especially true this year: the top three major awards of the evening—for Designer of the Year in women’s wear, men’s wear, and accessories—went to foreign designers working in the US.
Read moreA Better America
Our New Telephones
We are very excited about our new telephones. Joseph tested them out thoroughly this afternoon. As our most outgoing and talkative staff member, Joseph is a natural choice as telephone operator. Here you can see how precisely he handles each call, answers questions, makes transfers, and, most importantly, stays calm. Well done, Joseph!
Visa Options for Entrepreneurs
Sometimes US immigration law doesn’t provide clear visa options for people looking to work in America. These individuals are daunted by the process, and as attorneys we often feel like we are trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. But at other times, thankfully, there is more than one option for a client and so it’s our job to talk them through the choices to see which is the overall best fit. This can happen, in particular, with some entrepreneurs who are interested in opening up their own business in the US.
Read moreReuters: “Trump Administration Approves Tougher Visa Vetting, Including Social Media Checks”
The Trump administration has approved new questions for certain US visa applicants worldwide that ask for social media handles for the last five years as well as biographical information going back fifteen years. The more extensive vetting was implemented as a "temporary, 'emergency' measure in response to President Trump’s March 6 memo mandating enhanced visa screening.” Under the new guidelines, certain applicants will be asked to provide US consular officials with such information as their passport numbers, travel history and source of funding for all trips that took place within the past fifteen years, employment history and residential addresses from the past fifteen years, the names of all spouses or partners, regardless of if they are living or deceased, and names and birth dates of all siblings and children. In addition, applicants will be asked to provide their user names and handles for all social media accounts that they have used within the past five years. Although providing this information is voluntary, the questionnaire explains that failure to provide such information could potentially delay or prevent visa processing.
Read moreWhat America Means
Wave Walk
In advance of the United Nations World Oceans Day next week, Project 0, an ocean conservation organization, and beauty brand La Mer are installing a public art trail of fifty-four wave sculptures across New York City’s five boroughs. The sculptures, designed by such figures as artist Julian Schnabel, photographer Bruce Weber, fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, entrepreneur Richard Branson, Queen Noor of Jordan, and actress Sienna Miller, will “transmit the artists’ personal joy, hope, and inspiration for the ocean.” The waves are scattered across the boroughs in such places as the World Trade Center, Yankee Stadium, Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza, Gantry Plaza State Park, and down the street from our office in front of the Fashion Institute of Technology! (This piece, titled "Harmony" by artist and model Tali Lennox, is meant to remind us of the "respect & harmony we must have toward nature.") The sculptures, the sale of which will benefit marine habitats, will only be installed until June 21st so be sure to catch a wave before it's too late!
Briana Pfleegor: The DLG-Proust-Actors Studio Questionnaire
The first concert that Briana, a paralegal at the firm, attended with her dad was Joan Jett & the Blackhearts at the Brookhaven Amphitheater. She was two. While she doesn’t remember the performance, it was the first of many concerts she and her father have attended together. Born and raised in Hicksville, Long Island (“A silly name for a town,” she says), it was easy for her and her dad to travel into the city to see bands. Highlights include Elbow, Mötley Crüe, and Good Charlotte (which they’ve seen four times).
Read moreThe Atlantic: “Why Americans Smile So Much”
When a Reddit user asked, “What’s a dead giveaway that someone is American?” many responses listed one particular trait: wide, enthusiastic smiles. A study suggests that the reason Americans smile so much may have something to do with our immigrant past. In this study, a group of international researchers examined the number of “source countries”—where individuals have emigrated from since the year 1500—in various countries. Canada and the US, for instance, are very diverse, with sixty-three and eighty-three source countries, respectively, while countries such as China and Zimbabwe have only a few different nationalities in their populations. After polling individuals from thirty-two countries to learn “how much they felt various feelings should be expressed openly, the authors found that emotional expressiveness was correlated with diversity.” In other words, in places with a lot of immigrants from different countries all speaking different languages, you might have to smile more to build friendship, trust, and cooperation.
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