AP: Huntington Library garden project stalled by visa problem

[question everything]

Friday, January 06, 2006

Huntington Library garden project stalled by visa problem

Officials say without Chinese stonemasons, garden bridges can't be built. U.S. reportedly questioned cultural exchange.
By Daisy Nguyen
The Associated Press

An ambitious plan to build a sprawling, classical Chinese garden at the renowned Huntington Library is in jeopardy because U.S. immigration officials have denied visas to 13 Chinese stonemasons needed to assemble ornate bridges and pavilions.

The artisans were expected to arrive this month to help create the first phase of the 12-acre garden. But the U.S. government refused to grant the Q-1 visas in September because they didn't consider the project an important cultural exchange program, prompting the Huntington to scramble to rearrange the construction schedule due to the artisans' absence. "We'll have to close the project if we can't get them here," said Steven Koblik, president of the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, in San Marino.

A spokeswoman with the Citizenship and Immigration Services bureau declined to comment specifically on the stonemasons' applications. "If a visa application is rejected, then it usually is because people don't qualify for the visa for which they applied," said bureau spokeswoman Marie Sebrechts.

The Huntington's case is an example of an ongoing problem U.S. cultural institutions face in trying to obtain travel visas for foreign artists since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Applications for cultural, arts or sports visas have had to pass through more screening due to security concerns. Last year, 1,972 cultural exchange visas were approved, said Laura Tischler, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Consular Affairs, a division of the State Department.

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Find this article at:
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/regstate/articles/2157847.html

[TreasonousBastard]

1. Unfortunately, nothing new here. Since the INS...

was merged into Homeland Security and was given absolute authority, his has been happening on a regular basis. It was bad enough before 9/11, but now has become intolerable.

Iranian scientists, Columbian writers, Chinese businesspeople... the list is far too long of those denied entry for spurious reasons.

[question everything]

2. Ironic. We restrict entrance to foreigners

but have no problem breaking into foreign countries ourselves.