Although we usually "hit the waters" for our annual summer Boat Dance, this summer we decided to stay on solid ground. Well, close to solid ground anyways. Last night we made our way up to the rooftop garden at Gallow Green at the McKittrick Hotel. This Hotel is best known as the home for the theatre experience Sleep No More, an immersive and interactive version of Macbeth. Intentionally creepy and set in a “secret garden” high atop the west-side of Manhattan, Gallow Green was the perfect mid-summer evening escape. With purple cocktails, we toasted to the summer and Michal’s impending maternity leave (she had water!), and said goodbye to Dana (our office manager) and to Nithya (our summer intern). And then, as if on cue, it started to rain and rain and rain. Happy Summer 2018!
Bloomberg Law: “Immigration Lawyers to Trump: See You in Court”
As a result of increasingly strict immigration policies and more petition denials under the Trump administration, more attorneys are considering suing the federal government. “I’ve been preaching the gospel” of litigation, attorney Thomas Ragland tells Bloomberg Law. Ragland says that although businesses have in the past been more reluctant than individuals to sue, he is encouraging corporate clients to pursue litigation in certain cases. He says: “Employers should consider litigation in cases where they think the agency got it wrong.”
Read moreWar on Immigrants and Refugees
The Plan of the City of New York in North America
Surrounding 85 Broad Street in downtown Manhattan is a very cool piece of artwork inspired by "The Plan of the City of New York in North America,” the 1767 map created by British military officer Bernard Ratzer from 1766 to 1767. The map, designed by FXCollaborative, made by Jessup Manufacturing Company, and printed by National Marker, is made of a proprietary material called Asphalt Art, and covers 32,000 square feet, according to Untapped Cities. Notable highlights on the map include Stadt Huys (the first City Hall in Manhattan) and Lovelace Tavern, the architectural remnants of which have been preserved and are visible through a glass covering nearby. You can take a walk around old New York (without a time machine) through the fall.
Consequences of Violating Your Visa Status
Foreign nationals who violate their visa status can face serious consequences. Just ask Peter. Who is Peter? Okay, Peter is not a real person. He is a fictional foreign national who, to be clear, is not based on any of our clients (and any resemblance to a real person is entirely coincidental). Let’s say that Peter enters the United States as a B-2 tourist on December 5. The immigration officer processes his entry and Peter now has an I-94 (now electronic) with valid status until June 5.
Read moreSouth China Morning Post: “The evidence is clear: anti-immigration is bad for economic growth”
Immigration is key to economic growth, argues Jason Furman, professor of the practice of economic policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers for the Obama administration, in a recently published opinion piece. In the piece, Furman says that the rise of populist nationalism (and anti-immigrant sentiment) in societies around the world will ultimately cause their economies to suffer.
Read moreState of Mind
Intermission
Intermission is a new mural by artist Tristan Eaton at Houston and Bowery in New York City. Eaton's piece on the Bowery Wall "recalls memories of beauty, joy and escapism." Not easy, but Eaton accomplishes it with guns, dames, and a well-placed grapefruit. “This piece is meant to be a break from the daily horror of global events, a momentary pause to let your mind wander and escape the collective anxiety felt in the United States today,” Eaton explains on his Instagram. “I was compelled to paint something intentionally apolitical. A literal INTERMISSION from the noise and madness - nothing more.”
USCIS Updates Policy Guidance for When Adjudicators Can Deny Applications and Petitions
Last Friday, US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) published a policy memorandum that provides updated guidance to USCIS adjudicators regarding their “discretion to deny an application, petition, or request without first issuing a Request for Evidence (RFE) or Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) when required initial evidence was not submitted or the evidence of record fails to establish eligibility,” a move that makes it easier for USCIS officers to deny applications and petitions.
Read moreCNN: “Trump: Immigration is ‘changing the culture’ of Europe”
Last week during President Trump’s trip to Europe for a NATO summit and to England—where he was met with hundreds of thousands of protestors—for talks with Prime Minister Theresa May, the president spoke out against immigration in Europe and the United States. At a news conference, Trump claimed that immigration was a "negative thing" and that it was hurting Germany and other parts of Europe, seemingly referring to refugees who have fled to Europe from Syria and other parts of the Middle East and North Africa.
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