Last week President Trump addressed the nation in a speech about immigration and what he has claimed is a “crisis” at the US-Mexico border. Throughout the course of his nine-minute speech (which was made on the 18th day of the government shutdown), numerous fact-checkers and experts agree that the president painted an exaggerated and overall misleading picture of immigration to the US and the situation at the US-Mexico border. Fact-checkers across mediums confirm that the President’s speech pumped up some numbers, exaggerated the public safety risks of immigration, and repeated false claims regarding funding for the border wall.
Read moreTo Really Understand The World
Poetry Jukebox
Poetry Jukebox in Ruth E. Wittenberg Triangle in Manhattan.
Poetry Jukebox is a simple but ingenious project that plays poems on demand. Installed in Greenwich Village, visitors can press a button and hear poems from such New York City residents as Edna St. Vincent Millay, Sara Teasdale, Grace Paley, James Baldwin, Edgar Allan Poe, and Jack Kerouac, among others. Originally started in Prague by Ondřej Kobza, a café owner and cultural activist with passion for poems and literature, along with producer and writer Michaela Hečková, the project has spread to Slovakia, Ireland, Scotland, Bulgaria, and Germany, all with different poems in each location to reflect the literary heritage of each place. The creators of the Poetry Jukebox are focused on animating public spaces in cities and showing “how people can make their own cities more livable.”
The O-1 Visa: Top 10 Misconceptions
We originally published this post back in 2013 (as 5 misconceptions), and it has consistently ranked as one of our most read posts. And for good reason: the O-1 visa category is one of the most popular, especially for those who work in the arts, design, and film and television (although, as we discuss below, the O-1 can be a good option for all sorts of professions and industries). Since it’s been a number of years, we wanted to add some updates and clarifications and, yes, a few more misconceptions that often come up for foreign nationals who already have an O-1 or are interested in obtaining this visa type . - Protima
1. The O-1 is a “freelance” visa
There is no such thing as a “freelance” work visa in the United States. With very few exceptions, nearly every work visa in the US must be sponsored by a legal and operating US company or agency.
Read moreThe Washington Post: "Shutdown worsens strain on US immigration system"
The ongoing partial US government shutdown is causing a further strain on US immigration courts as well as creating potential hardships for US Border Patrol agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, and other front-line Department of Homeland Security who are considered “essential” workers and must continue to work without pay during the shutdown. Tony Reardon, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, says that the federal employees including CBP officers and agriculture inspectors stationed at border crossings and airports are “key to our nation’s security and economic success, and they do not deserve to be treated this way.” CBP agents are taking into custody more than 2,000 migrants per day on average and, with nowhere to detain them, the governments has been releasing hundreds onto the streets in El Paso, Texas, Yuma, Arizona, and other border cities.
Read moreBroken Immigration System
Bye, Alla!
We are sorry to say goodbye to Alla, a paralegal at DLG. She will be going on some adventures abroad and afterwards moving out of New York City. Alla brought a wonderful background and experience to the firm, and she will be missed. To say goodbye, we had some wine and cheese and watched the sunset together. (Maybe a few tears were shed.) We wish her all the best on her travels and hope she stops by for visits in the future where we can watch even more sunsets (you know, since we have such a good view!) Bye, Alla!
Partial Government Shutdown Does Not Effect Most USCIS Operations
USCIS announced that the current lapse in annual appropriated funding for the US government does not affect most USCIS operations and fee-funded activities. USCIS offices will remain open, and all individuals should attend previously scheduled interviews and appointments. Additionally, USCIS will continue to accept petitions and applications with only certain exceptions.
Read moreHappy Holidays from DLG!
For our final post of the year on our blog we thought we’d close out with our view from outside our office windows. That’s right, we get to stare at the Empire State Building and (sometimes) the moon every day! Don’t worry, we’ll be back in January with lots of fresh content. Please note our office will be closed for the holidays on December 24th, 25th, 26th, and 31st. We will also be closed on January 1st, 2019. We wish everyone a wonderful rest of 2018 and a Happy New Year!
CNN: “Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks at naturalization ceremony on the anniversary of Bill of Rights signing.”
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently spoke at a naturalization ceremony in the rotunda of Washington D.C.’s National Archives where thirty-one men and women become new citizens. As she’s done before, Justice Ginsburg shared her own immigration story: "My own father arrived in this land at age 13 with no fortune and speaking no English,” she said. “My mother was born four months after her parents—with several children in tow—came by ship to Ellis Island. My father and my grandparents reached, as you do, for the American dream." She asked the attendees: “What is the difference between a bookkeeper in New York City's Garment District and a Supreme Court Justice? One generation.”
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