International Musicians Pull Again U.S. Visits in Face of Trump Journey Bans

In Monday’s (1/19) New York Times, Ben Sisario writes that current Trump Administration journey bans, “along with escalating costs and delays in the always-fraught visa application process, represent a looming crisis for the American performing arts sector, as many overseas musicians, theater companies and others face new and seemingly insurmountable obstacles to travel. Some, assessing the risks, are electing to avoid coming here altogether, according to talent agents and the American promoters and producers who are now contemplating holes in their calendars. The federal government says it is protecting American citizens from danger…. Last week, the State Department said it would soon halt processing of immigrant visa applications from citizens of 75 countries … The processing of petitions by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or U.S.C.I.S., the first step in most performers’ visa application process, has become much more strict. According to one recently instituted rule, the agency is now putting a ‘hold’ on its processing if an applicant was born in any of the 40 or so countries targeted by the administration, regardless of where an applicant has citizenship. For foreign artists and the American producers who are looking to work with them, these changes are beginning to wreak havoc…. Some foreign artists, even from nations unaffected by the bans, may simply be choosing to avoid the United States.”