On October 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced the designation of Ethiopia for temporary protected status (“TPS”) for eighteen months, beginning December 12, 2022 through June 12, 20024 to help protect Ethiopian nationals in the United States from returning to unsafe conditions ”due to conflict-related violence and a humanitarian crisis involving severe food shortages, flooding, drought, and displacement.” The TPS designation has gone into effect with the publishing of the Federal Register Notice earlier this week. Eligible individuals may submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status along with Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization electronically as of December 12, 2022.
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New York Palace Christmas Tree
After a hiatus last winter, the New York Palace Christmas tree is back and shining as bright as ever. A highly sought-out focal point of the holiday season in New York City, the tree usually stands at 35-feet-tall. However, due to ongoing major renovations which resulted in the hotel’s lack of tree last year, this year it is much smaller in size, but just as large in Christmas spirit. Donned in red and gold bow and ornaments with a halo-like light above for full dazzling effect, the tree is the centerpiece of a festive and well-decorated iconic courtyard which is open to the public. The hotel, a Madison Avenue jewel, is both a landmark and luxury retreat dating as far back as 1882, beloved by New Yorkers and visitors alike. The New York Palace Hotel is the city’s largest luxury hotel and is consistently highly rated – even the tree is, too!
Immigrants Boost US Economy
‘Tis the Season for Holiday Markets
The holidays are officially here, and seasonal markets are popping up throughout the city to spread holiday cheer, delight the culinary senses, and showcase original gifts for everyone on our lists. With roots in the traditional European holiday markets, the Bryant Park Winter Village, the Union Square Holiday Market, and the Columbus Circle Holiday Market are some of the most popular markets in NYC.
The holiday markets are a winter staple in the city, providing small businesses a chance to shine and showcase their artisanal goods and indulging the public with a variety of goods off the beaten track. With something for everyone, the markets are worth the trip, so bundle up, maybe take a spin around the skate rinks, and soak in the holiday spirit!
DACA is Codified, but Remains in Jeopardy
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.
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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:
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