Director L. Francis Cissna, of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), recently informed senior staff members that the international division of USCIS operating in more than twenty countries will likely shut down by the end of the year, cutting a key support system for those applying overseas to relocate to the United States. The move to shut down is allegedly intended to provide more resources to handle the lengthy backlog in asylum applications domestically, but it could come at the expense of legal migration.
Read moreMiraculous in America
The Vessel at Hudson Yards
Last night we were able to get a preview of the Vessel, the centerpiece of the newly-opened Hudson Yards. The largest private real estate development in American history, Hudson Yards consists of a vast network of residences, office space, shops, restaurants, and Instagram-worthy immersive art exhibits. The Vessel is a piece of interactive artwork designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Heatherwick Studio to be a focal point where visitors can “enjoy new perspectives of the city and one another from different heights, angles and vantage points.” Its spiral staircase is comprised of 154 intricately interconnecting flights of stairs—almost 2,500 individual steps and 80 landings—which all translate to a nearly one mile vertical climb. Heatherwick says: “We tried to see how we could make something that feels particular and doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world.” It is certainly unique, and after that climb, you will definitely need a snack! Hudson Yards officially opens today and visitors will need tickets to climb the Vessel.
USCIS Resumes Premium Processing for All H-1B Petitions
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the agency will resume premium processing for all H-1B petitions effective today, Tuesday, March 12. This will be welcome news to many after USICS expanded the premium processing suspension to all H-1B petitions in September 2018. In February 2019, the agency resumed premium processing only for H-1B petitions filed on or before December 21, 2018.
Read moreThe Nation: “US Immigration Is Stuck in the Stone Age—and It’s Putting Lives In Danger.”
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) reportedly spends $300 million per year on paper and their alleged mismanagement of paper-based applications as well as clerical errors in processing paper-based evidence has caused serious consequences for certain immigrants. The agency has repeatedly failed to come up with a viable electronic-based filing system, which ultimately might improve processing efficiency and times, despite spending over a billion dollars over a thirteen-year time period.
Read moreNot Much of a Voice
Trailblazing Women
New York City has only five statues honoring female historical figures. (There are 145 male historical statues.) The five statues include Joan of Arc, Golda Meir, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Tubman, and the American author Gertrude Stein, pictured above at Bryant Park. Stein’s placement near the New York Public Library reflects her significant literary contributions, including plays, librettos, film scripts, and novels, as well as her influence on American writers. But Stein (and the others) won’t be alone for too much longer. This week during the start of Women’s History Month, NYC First Lady Chirlane McCray announced four more permanent monuments (along with the previously announced statue of Representative Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress) that will honor "the trailblazing women who have helped shape New York City." The statues will depict Billie Holiday, the iconic singer; Elizabeth Jennings Graham, who fought racial segregation in 19th century New York City; Dr. Helen Rodríguez Trías, a leader in pediatrics and public health; and Katherine Walker, one of the first female light house keepers who is credited with saving at least fifty people. "We cannot tell the story of New York City without recognizing the invaluable contributions of the women who helped build and shape it," McCray told reporters at a press conference. “In honoring these four trailblazers today, New Yorkers will have the opportunity to see powerful women who made history receive the recognition they deserve."
The Guardian: “Thousands of migrant children allegedly sexually abused in US custody.”
Almost 5,000 complaints of alleged sexual abuse and harassment of migrant children in US custody have been made since October 2015, according to government documents released last week. The allegations range from adult staff members having relationships with minors to the showing of pornographic videos to forcible touching. Though the reports go back four years, the highest number of sexual abuse and harassment occurred since President Trump took office.
Read moreThe Saviours, the Dreamers, and the Sacrificers
Picnic
With temperatures hovering around freezing, gray and overcast skies almost every day, and snow in the forecast, the only way we’re getting through this winter is thinking about lovely summer days to come. And what says summer more than a picnic in the park? Artist Tamara Johnson’s aptly titled Picnic was specifically created for Maria Hernandez Park and the surrounding Bushwick community, and lets us imagine, if only for a moment, that it’s warm enough to eat outdoors. The hand-cast concrete picnic scene “symbolizes the gathering, relaxing and sharing we experience with friends and family” and turns “a temporary happening into a static monument for participation and contemplation.” The sculpture is on display until the first day of spring (March 20).