The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) program celebrated a decade of existence earlier this year. DACA went into effect as an executive order signed by President Obama to protect undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as minors without “the formal agency rulemaking process, which requires public notice and comment”. It was intended as a “stopgap measure to protect some of the nation’s most vulnerable immigrants”, from deportation and allow beneficiaries to obtain work authorization and reside legally in the US. DACA was never meant to be a permanent solution but a means to be used for a limited time until Congress passed new immigration legislation addressing the immigration status of certain undocumented minors.
Read moreVenezuelan Exodus: In Search of Livelihoods
Imagine yourself a citizen of a country that has been under an authoritarian regime for the past twenty-three years. You and your family are in a state of food insecurity, violence, and medicinal shortages driven by decades of political turmoil. Would you leave everything behind, risk your life, and perhaps your loved ones’ lives, in search of a better life you may have only seen on television or films? Millions of Venezuelans have had to make this arduous decision and consequently fled their homes due to political persecution, loss of livelihoods, lack of food, medicine, and other basic necessities. Since 2015 more than 7.1 million people have fled Venezuela. The dictatorial government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and his predecessor Hugo Chavez, have turned a country once considered the richest in Latin American, due to its housing the largest oil reserves in the world, into a “narco state” where citizens are forced to live with soaring expenses, limited job opportunities, and minimal political freedoms. Maduro’s government is not recognized by the US government and therefore migrants at the US border cannot be deported back to Venezuela. The idea of reaching the land of the free has prompted thousands of Venezuelans to risk their lives by making a 6,000 mile journey into the unknown. In fiscal year 2022, an unprecedented 188,000 Venezuelans have presented themselves at the US southern border.
Read moreHome is Here and There
World Cup Fever Pitch
World Cup fever has broken out around the world as Qatar hosts the 2022 FIFA World Cup! For the next few weeks, the world is united and tuned into what most people around the globe commonly know as football and we in the US call soccer. Television network “Peacock” has brought fans and spectators together in New York and now Miami with a three-story responsive soccer ball featuring the voice of Telemundo’s Andrés Cantor, the Argentinian American sports broadcasting legend “whose breathtaking goal calls capture the ‘spirit’ of soccer”. Mr. Cantor’s “Gooooooooooooooooooolllllllll!!!” calls that resonated through Rockefeller Center are now filling Wynwood Market Place as fans gather together to cheer on their favorite teams. Frankly, we are a bit torn on who to root for this Friday as the US takes on the UK…do we have to choose? Go Teams!
A Thanksgiving Feast
As we prepare to gather with family and friends in celebration of Thanksgiving, we’d like to share “The Immigrant Origins of Thanksgiving” written by Leya Speasmaker and Paola Flores-Marquez which highlights some of the ways immigrants have contributed to our Thanksgiving traditions:
Read moreTemporary Protected Status is Extended for Thousands Amidst Court Challenges
A recently published Federal Register Notice confirmed The Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) will continue to extend Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) designations for nationals of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Sudan, and Nepal. DHS is automatically extending the validity of TPS Status and employment authorization documents for beneficiaries from the countries listed above through June 30, 2024.
Read moreCanada's Immigration Evolution
“Peace Gorilla” by Noa Bornstein
Noa Bornstein’s “Peace Gorilla,” a bronze gorilla sculpture, greets and high-fives park goers along the esplanade of Newtown Barge Park in Greenpoint. Peace’s arm extends toward the United Nations building across the East River, while she stands on a concrete base inscribed with the word for ‘friend’ in 90 languages—beginning with the six official languages of the UN. Bornstein’s work promotes peace between humans, with visitors welcomed and encouraged to touch, high-five, and engage with the sculpture. “Peace Gorilla” is an edition of seven, with the artist imagining one on each continent. Interestingly, Peace is not the only bronze gorilla sculpture to ever grace New York City–in 2020, “King Nyani” was on view in Hudson Yards, a sculpture which was an homage to critically endangered mountain gorillas in the wild and the largest bronze gorilla statue in the world. Surely Peace and King Nyani would make great friends. Ms. Bornstein says that Peace Gorilla “continues to invite us to make friends and peace with each other, and with hers and other species.”
Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
"Canstruction" 2022
As Thanksgiving approaches, organizations and individuals are joining efforts to ensure everyone has a meal this holiday. Celebrating its 30th year, “Canstruction” returns to New York City’s Brookfield Place to host its annual competition between local architects, contractors, and engineers to create extravagant displays, using only canned non-perishables. The canned foods are later donated to City Harvest, New York’s first and largest food rescue organization, which has been delivering nutritious food to hundreds of food pantries and community food programs across our five boroughs for the last forty years.
This year, twenty brilliant teams came together to compete and challenge themselves to create unforgettable “Canstruction” sculptures. From Baby Yoda ensuring “May the Food be with You” to “WaCANda Forever” and King Tut’s “A Meal Fit for a King”, this year’s canstructors have created fantastic pieces. While the companies are also competing for awards from a panel of jurors and people’s choice, the main goal is to help stop hunger, and ensure that everyone has access to a holiday meal to share with their families. Canstruction is open to the public until November 14th. If you “CAN”, remember to donate at your local food bank or neighborhood food drive!