In early May, the Cannes Film Festival was the kickoff for the summer film season. Photophone calls, news tours, international premieres, and yes, festivals see talent coming in and out of the United States, while Marché Du movies and other forums see filmmakers traveling for film funding. This year, non-citizens working in Hollywood are on the edge, with Donald Trump causing chaos on the country's borders.
For those living in the United States on non-immigrant visas and green cards, concerns are the first-person stories about the review of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and officials searching for personal digital devices at airports. A well-known industry journalist said that he had a valid green card and would head to the festival: “I am anxious about it, and for every shocking account I read another well-documented permanent resident recorded on the border.”
Nevertheless, the immigration experts who spoke to him thr It is important to express caution and travel plans should be under scrutiny, but at this time it is difficult to have any best practices or consultations as the government’s approach to the border changes too quickly. "There is certainly a higher intensity in the CBP lately, but the vast majority of people will still be in the United States without meaningful issues," said Stephanie Friedberg, an immigration attorney.
According to several immigration lawyers working in Hollywood, there is a significant boost in client’s appeal, from personal talent to companies and studios, worrying about travel because the stories come from the border. “Now, we’re going to tell our clients to do a personal risk assessment,” said Eric Welsh, partner of the Reeves Immigration Law Group. “If you do think it’s important, be careful, work hard and realize what you’re doing.”
Some worried travelers are advised to turn off their phones and package them to check their luggage so they cannot access their phones immediately during re-entry. Other suggestions include sending a SIM card to the phone by mail, or explicitly getting a burner phone and computer for travel. Documents should be introduced physically, such as visas or materials that support working in the United States. If displayed digitally, it provides a CBP proxy with the opportunity to access the phone. A filmmaker with a visa on the U.S. is traveling internationally, saying they have cleared any critical references to the president and his administration, including text messages and social media.
Recently, on the red carpet of the BAFTA TV Awards, actor Jonathan Pryce laughed and said he had not been put into the country if he commented on Trump's Hollywood tariff plan.
Experts point out that there are other factors that mean that non-immigrant visa holders seeking to enter or re-enter the United States should be diligent, including those who speak out on social media, especially those about the Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza. On April 9, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service said it would begin screening immigrants’ social media for evidence of anti-Semitism. Although there are no reports of high-profile events, Transgender persons with U.S. visas should also be cautious when considering travel, during April State Department directives, which requires visa applicants to disclose their gender at birth.
With executive orders changing orders – Hollywood is more uncertainty when student visas are restored on April 25 for thousands of international students. While Cannes already has visa holders in the U.S. worrying about traveling abroad, immigration experts are seeking a massive wave of international talent into the country for the coming months, timely attending fall music festivals and awards seasons.