Actors, directors, producers and musicians have been snagged in the visa crackdown, sowing anxiety and confusion in an increasingly globalised business

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Hollywood’s collective howl at Donald Trump is not entirely political.

Actors, directors, producers, musicians and others have been snagged in the president’s visa crackdown, sowing anxiety and confusion in an increasingly globalised business.

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“Our office has been inundated,” said Josh Goldstein, a Los Angeles immigration attorney with entertainment industry clients. “People are in a panic right now. It’s created a general level of fear.”

Contradictory signals from the White House, the state department and federal judges over the past week have rattled all foreigners, not just those from the seven countries named in Trump’s executive order, Goldstein said.

“As a lawyer it’s almost impossible for me to give out advice because there are so many lawsuits and exceptions. We really don’t know how they’re going to apply the rules. So my advice is: if you’re in the country, stay here.”

Entertainment, however, is an international industry. Film sets, editing suites and corporate offices can feel like the United Nations. Especially now – pilot and award season, when actors, agents and other industry professionals flock to LA for castings, rehearsals and ceremonies.

The order Trump signed on 27 January blocks citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen from entering the US for 90 days. It also blocks all refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely. Green card holders were initially included, then exempted.

US travel ban - a brief guide The executive order signed by Donald Trump suspends the entire US refugee admissions system, already one of the most rigorous in the world, for 120 days. It also suspends the Syrian refugee program indefinitely, and bans entry to the US to people from seven majority-Muslim countries – Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen – for 90 days. The order has prompted a series of legal challenges, while thousands of Americans have protested outside airports and courthouses in solidarity with Muslims and migrants.

The numbers directly affected in Hollywood are relatively small, but many fear the crackdown will widen, said Gerri Marshall, of Michael M Felix, another LA-based legal firm with entertainment industry clients.

“They’re concerned the executive order will be extended and apply to them. Especially if they’ve had criminal issues in the past. I’ve been getting phone calls from green card holders who have had DUIs (driving under the influence) and drug issues.”

“Production companies are vetting talent to see if they could face a possible bar,” Richard Tashjian, an immigration attorney who works with Sony and CAA, told the Hollywood Reporter. “Past that, there is no contingency plan if the bar is expanded.”

Some of those directly affected include Asghar Farhadi, an Oscar-winning Iranian director. He is in the running for another Academy award for The Salesman, in the best foreign-language film category, but said he would stay away from the 26 February ceremony even if allowed entry to the US.

The film’s star, Taraneh Alidoosti, also said she would not attend in protest. Another absentee will be Hala Kamil, the Syrian protagonist in the Oscar-nominated documentary Watani: My Homeland.

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The makers of The White Helmets, an Oscar-nominated documentary short about rescue workers in Syria, have had to abandon plans to fly in two of the film’s protagonists.

With opinion polls showing that more Americans support the restrictions than oppose, there is speculation the administration could target more countries, such as Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia.

Another concern for Hollywood is the mooted government review of the application process for H-1B visas, a category used by technology and other highly skilled workers, especially in animation. A bigger blow would be restrictions on O visas, typically used by entertainers, and P visas, typically used by executives and financiers.

Several federal judges, including US district judge Andre Birotte in LA, have issued rulings blocking parts of the executive order. But that is of limited comfort amid uncertainty over whether immigration officials are obeying, and Trump’s next move, Goldstein said.

“Most of our calls are from people who would not be affected by the ruling, from Argentina for example. That shows you the level of concern.”

Marshall said the judicial interventions, once explained, had helped calm her clients.

Earlier this week, however, LAX was anything but calm when Joss Whedon, Ellen Page, Kumail Nanjiani and Tim Robbins joined protesters thronging a terminal. “Please pardon the inconvenience. This republic is temporarily under assault,” said a cardboard sign held by Whedon, who directed The Avengers.

Meryl Streep’s rallying cry against Trump at the Golden Globes set the tone for fresh denunciations at the SAG awards, warmers for a likely onslaught at the Oscars.

Angelina Jolie spoke out against the president in a New York Times editorial, saying Americans had shed blood so that human rights could transcend culture, geography, ethnicity and religion.

Arnold Schwarzenegger ratcheted up his own critique on Thursday – he proposed a job swap – after the president mocked him over Apprentice ratings.