DHS Touts 2.2 Million "Enforcement Actions" by USCIS
USCIS moved away from its role as the friendly service arm of DHS during the first Trump Administration. Remember the new USCIS mission statement in 2018? (And also Ming Chen's great article Silence and the Second Wall--walking through USCIS changes to legal migration.)
This DHS statement from yesterday is quite the cherry on top: Under President Trump’s Leadership, USCIS Takes Unprecedented 2.2 Million Enforcement Actions Protecting Americans Across the Nation. Here are the categories of enforcement actions identified:
- Ending the misuse of Temporary Protected Status so that TPS is once again truly temporary;
- Denying applications to extend or change nonimmigrant status when no legal basis exists;
- Issuing Notices to Appear (NTAs) to place removable aliens into removal proceedings before an immigration judge;
- Ending the automatic extension of employment authorization documents, ensuring every alien is properly screened and vetted before any work authorization is renewed; and
- Terminating categorical parole programs and returning parole to strict case-by-case review as Congress intended.
DHS writes:
These actions have real consequences. Every fraudulent application identified, every ineligible benefit denied, and every national security threat flagged represents an immigration system working to uphold the law and protect the American people. By strengthening screening and vetting, preventing the exploitation of immigration benefits, and initiating removal proceedings against those who violate our laws, USCIS is closing the gaps that undermine public safety and national security.
