immigration

Tag Archives for immigration.

Man Flies To Germany, Tries To Sneak In To See His Girlfriend

by Gary Leff on May 15, 2020

May 15 2020

Coronavirus has been a strain on relationships, from the hotel that markets itself as a great break from your spouse and monetizes its guest list with a divorce lawyer who offers free consultations to the 85 and 89 year olds who live on opposite sides of the Germany-Denmark border and meet each day for a picnic, staying on their own side of the border and social distancing.

To one 20 year old, no coronavirus border restriction was going to keep him from his love. Then he ran into the German Federal Police.

Every Destination In The World Now Has Coronavirus Travel Restrictions

by Gary Leff on May 3, 2020

May 03 2020

There’s no longer a single country that doesn’t have a restriction on arriving passengers of some kind. Countries that don’t have a major coronavirus problem don’t want one. When and how will restrictions lift? Like most of what we know about coronavirus, heterogeneity rules.

Most Travel Banned At U.S. Land Borders. What That Means Depends On Where You Cross.

by Gary Leff on May 2, 2020

May 02 2020

The U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico are closed to non-essential travel, but agents on the border processing immigration say they haven’t received guidance on what that means and they’re left to make up the rules themselves.

Immigration officers further resent the number of people coming into the U.S., viewing them as physical threats to their health.

New Yorkers Sue Trump Officials For Banning Them From Global Entry. A Court Says They Have A Case.

by Gary Leff on April 22, 2020

Apr 22 2020

In December New York State law began allowing undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses and stopped sharing applicant information with immigration enforcement agencies.

In Early February the Trump Administration announced that because of this law, New York residents would no longer be allowed to enroll in or renew Global Entry. They claimed they needed access to New York’s DMV database as part of their identity verification process. Several New Yorkers are suing.

Italy May Be Off Limits For Travel Until April 2021

by Gary Leff on April 19, 2020

Apr 19 2020

Plans to re-open the economy in phases are still speculative, and still just plans. They haven’t yet hit the reality of local politics (sustaining closures in the face of a struggling economy) or European politics (and pressure, perhaps coming from Germany and in exchange for economic aid, to follow a more unified approach). Thus pronouncements about re-opening Spain ‘at the end of the year’ and Italy ‘after March 2021’ are at this point merely suggestive of the challenges that international travel will face, rather than something to be taken at face value.

U.S. Immigration N95 Mask Stockpile Won’t Go To Hospitals, Goes To TSA Instead

by Gary Leff on March 27, 2020

Mar 27 2020

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has 1.5 million N95 masks sitting in an Indiana warehouse.

And after discussions about what to do with the masks on Wednesday, it was concluded that “CBP has no plans to offer the masks to hard-hit hospitals, or hand them over to the Federal Emergency Management Agency…” Instead those will be given to the TSA. And CBP will acquire 1.5 million masks to replace those, competing with orders placed by hosptials.

Airport Immigration Insanity: We’re Cramming Everyone Together Body-To-Body

by Gary Leff on March 15, 2020

Mar 15 2020

The U.S. is limiting international travel and funneling it through a limited set of airports. That’s supposed to allow them to screen passengers better entering the country. Here the government is failing and making things worse.

The virus is already here and spreading. We don’t know how badly because we are keeping out foreign tests. Our solution to that appears to be keeping out foreigners and forcing everyone in close proximity to each other to encourage spread.

Federal Government Flushed Pending Global Entry Applications Submitted By New Yorkers

by Gary Leff on February 8, 2020

Feb 08 2020

Wednesday night the Trump administration announced a new policy that New York residents are no longer eligible to apply for (or renew) Global Entry, SENTRI, or Nexus. That means no more expedited immigration, and it means New Yorkers getting their TSA PreCheck through these programs wouldn’t have that benefit renewed either.

It was unclear what would happen to New Yorkers who already had submitted applications (and renewals). That’s now clear. Those applications have reportedly been flushed.

5 Reasons The Trump Administration’s Ban On Global Entry For New Yorkers Is Bad Policy

by Gary Leff on February 6, 2020

Feb 06 2020

In December New York State law began allowing undocumented immigrants to get drivers licenses and stopped sharing applicant information with immigration enforcement agencies.

Wednesday evening the Trump administration announced that because New York passed this law, “New York residents are no longer eligible to enroll in these Trusted Traveler Programs” including Global Entry.

Asian Women Required To Take Pregnancy Tests Before Traveling To The United States

by Gary Leff on January 13, 2020

Jan 13 2020

Cathay Pacific-owned HK Express is apologizing for requiring passengers to take pregnancy tests at the airport as a condition of flying to a U.S. territory in the Pacific, as a strategy of complying with U.S. immigration demands.