proclamation. Given the DOS statistics as revealed by the
letter to Sen. Van Hollen, any grant of waivers under Section
3(c) of the proclamation have been illusory at best. The
provisions of the proclamation and lack of clear, objective
guidance from Department of State sets our country back to
the 1920s. Looking back at the Immigration Act of 1924, also
called the National Origins Act and Asian Exclusion Act, it
involved nationality-based allocations with the ultimate goal
of reducing the number of non-whites.
It targeted Asians, southern and eastern Europeans (especially
Italians), Slavs and eastern European Jews. This was meant
to “preserve the ideal of American homogeneity.” The act
was abolished by President Johnson in 1965 when he signed
into law the Immigration and Nationality Act, . While standing
near the Statue of Liberty, he commented that “a very deep
and painful flaw in the fabric of American justice” was being
corrected. The Supreme Court held hearings on Travel Ban 3.0
in April this year. As of print time, a decision is still to come.
In April, the Trump administration also removed Chad from
its list of restricted countries. The consensus within the legal
community is that the court, in all likelihood, will resist making
a merits-based determination of the travel ban. It is now within
the court’s power to determine whether the judiciary will
defer to the Executive Branch as the branch asserts its role in
national security matters, regardless of a perceive animus in
intent. That balancing act hangs the fate of millions of people
who are from predominantly Muslim nations.
MARJAN KASRA
The Law Offices of Marjan Kasra, LLC is an
international law firm headquartered in Stamford,
Connecticut. Kasra is the founder and managing
attorney of the firm. She obtained her juris doctor
degree in 1999 and earned her B.S. in biology and
psychology from the University of Connecticut, followed by a two-year
post-baccalaureate program at Columbia University. The office is a
leading expert in U.S. immigration and specializes in the EB-5 and E-2
investor visa categories. With offices in Stamford, New York and Dubai,
Kasra and her team specialize in customizing programs for Middle
Eastern clientele.
BABAK HOJJAT
Babak Hojjat, J.D., is the director of global
operations at the Law Offices of Marjan Kasra,
LLC and is primarily in charge of the international
marketing division. He provides strategic direction
and oversight to the law firm’s marketing team.
Hojjat has over a decade of experience at the immigration law firm and
extensive experience with issues as they relate to the firm’s Middle East
clientele. Hojjat specializes in the investment visa category and has
proven himself to be resourceful and a “go-to” member for guidance
regarding international markets.
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