On September 24, 2017, President Trump issued a presidential proclamation that details new travel restrictions targeting nationals of seven countries, including Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, as well as places some travel restrictions or increases scrutiny for certain nationals of Venezuela and nationals of Iraq. Under this proclamation, most citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen will be banned from entering the US. Certain government officials from Venezuela who seek to visit the US will face restrictions and Iraqi nationals will face heightened scrutiny.
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National Cheeseburger Day
Thanks, Shake Shack!
In honor of National Cheeseburger Day this past Monday, September 18, we had a couple of, you guessed it, cheeseburgers (and fries). While the origins of National Cheeseburger Day are unclear, we nevertheless were excited to celebrate this special day by getting some cheeseburgers from Shake Shack, one of our favorite places. The origins of the cheeseburger itself are also unclear, with one story saying that Lionel Sternberger invented it in 1926 while working at his father’s Pasadena, California sandwich shop, The Rite Spot, when he dropped a slice of American cheese on a sizzling hamburger. O'Dell's, a Los Angeles restaurant, and Kaelin's, a Kentucky restaurant, also make a claim for its invention. Whatever the origin, cheeseburger, we honor you!
Alla Malova: The DLG-Proust-Actors Studio Questionnaire
Alla was born and grew up in the Moscow region in Russia. When she was a teenager, her stepdad received a job in the Washington D.C. area, and her family moved to the United States, just as she was set to attend Moscow State University. Although her family moved away, she still attended the university, one of the oldest and most prestigious in Russia, and majored in philosophy. “I knew I was always good with languages and humanities,” she says. “Philosophy seemed like a good match.” She specialized in cultural studies, which would be close to American studies in anthropology. After graduation, she moved to the US to attend graduate school at The George Washington University, where she studied international policy.
Read moreThe New York Times: “Forced Searches of Phones and Laptops at U.S. Border are Illegal, Lawsuit Claims”
Two civil rights groups filed a lawsuit last week against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on behalf of eleven people whose cellphones and laptops were confiscated or searched at the nation’s border. The lawsuit alleges that their First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated when their devices were seized and searched without a warrant. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed the lawsuit for these eleven individuals, which includes ten American citizens and one permanent resident. These individuals, a journalist, student, US military veteran, artist, and NASA engineer, among others, hope that the lawsuit will force courts to place limits on the agency’s broad authority to search all travelers entering the country, including US citizens. The lawsuit argues that the current laws in place that established rules for searching luggage for all individuals (unless exempt by diplomatic status) regardless of nationality should not apply to electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops because these types of devices contain immense amounts of personal data and information.
Read moreUSCIS Resumes Premium Processing for H-1B Cap Petitions
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has resumed premium processing effective September 18, 2017 for all H-1B visa petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 cap including for the 20,000 additional petitions for those workers with a US master’s degree or higher educational degree. Premium processing is only available for pending H-1B cap petitions, not new submissions, since USCIS received more than enough petitions during the April filing window to meet the FY 2018 cap.
Read moreExile
Joseph and Radford Got Married!
While some of you may have noticed Joseph’s brief hiatus from our blog, we are happy to share that it is only because he recently got married to Radford, in Begur, Spain! Begur is a small, historic town located in Catalonia, Spain where tourists can see breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea from Castell De Begur, or enjoy some tapas and wine in the center square. Joseph and Radford chose Begur as their wedding location because it has been the location of several milestones of their relationship together, including their first international trip together and where they got engaged! Their wedding date also coincided with Fira d’Indians, a three day festival that takes place in Begur every year. The festival celebrates the town’s strong ties to Cuba, as many families migrated from Begur to Cuba during the 19th century. Fira d’Indians is filled with food, music, performances, and crafts. Joseph and Radford’s wedding guests were able to enjoy the festival, while celebrating the wedding over several days. There was no shortage of dancing and good cheer! All of us here at DLG wish Joseph and Radford a lifetime of health, happiness, and adventure!
5 Misconceptions about the I-94
Hardly a week goes by when a client doesn’t tell us, “I don’t have an I-94. They got rid of I-94s.” And it’s understandable, since there has been a lot of confusion after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) converted from paper I-94s to electronic I-94s in 2013. To recap: the I-94 is an electronic document (formerly paper) issued to foreign nationals that:
- Tracks arrivals and (indirectly) departures to and from the United States; and
- Is evidence of legal status in the US for foreign nationals in their category of admission (for example, H-1, O-1, L-1, F-1, and so on).
The lack of a paper stapled into a passport has led to many misunderstandings. We try to address five of the most common.
Read moreNBC News: “Homeland Security Cancels Massive Roundups of Undocumented Immigrants”
In response to reports of a nationwide immigration raid that was scheduled to target approximately 8,400 undocumented immigrants later this month, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a statementlast Thursday saying that there are no nationwide enforcement actions planned at this time, as all upcoming operations have been reviewed and “adjusted accordingly” given the impact of the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida . In this statement, ICE spokeswoman Sarah Rodriguez stated there is no nationwide operation planned at this time because “the priority in the affected areas should remain focused on life-saving and life-sustaining activities.” While the statement released by ICE officials was an attempt to encourage undocumented immigrants in the affected areas to seek help, many undocumented foreign nationals still fear that the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey will still not stop immigration officials from enforcing policies.
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