Today, America’s Voice launched a new countdown clock to draw attention to the impending furloughs facing two-thirds of USCIS workers and the larger damaging implications on the country as a whole. Currently, we have 32 days until the early August deadline for USCIS funding. If no deal is reached, thousands of USCIS employees will be furloughed and the immigration system will essentially shut down. Click here for a recent DHS Watch deep dive explanation: “How the Trump Administration’s Failed Immigration Strategy Fueled by Xenophobic Ideology Created a Financial Crisis at USCIS.”
According to Ur Jaddou, Director of DHS Watch and former Chief Counsel of USCIS: “The potential shutdown of USCIS would affect all of us – from doctors and other essential workers who would be unable to keep working and serving the country during the pandemic to Dreamers whose DACA renewals would be unable to process; from more delays and roadblocks for naturalization to the potential hard-hit local economies that would be affected in California, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, and Vermont by local furloughs at large USCIS offices. None of this needs to happen or should be blamed on the pandemic. This financial crisis at USCIS is the direct result of three and a half years of xenophobic Trump administration immigration policy that drove the agency into the ground and left it woefully unprepared to stay afloat during this pandemic. It’s now time for Congress to save USCIS from this administration and prevent President Trump from doing more damage in the future.”
Leading media outlets and observers are highlighting the storyline and potential implications, including:
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“It essentially will shut down the immigration system – sort of the final nail in the coffin.” In a BuzzFeed article titled, “The Immigration System Is Set To Come To A Near Halt, And No One Is Paying Attention,” Hamed Aleaziz quotes Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association and a former USCIS official, saying: “It essentially will shut down the immigration system — sort of the final nail in the coffin. The anticipated agency furloughs will not only result in the loss of employment for thousands of US workers, it will also bring halt the US immigration system to a grinding halt, negatively impacting families, U.S. businesses, educational institutions, medical facilities, and churches throughout the United States.”
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“If you’re a business or any other stakeholder who is unhappy with Trump’s ban on work visas, you are not going to be happy with a world where USCIS ceases to function.” In a Wall Street Journal article titled, “Immigration Agency to Furlough Two-Thirds of Staff, Suspend Services Absent a Bailout From Congress,” Michelle Hackman quotes Doug Rand, former Obama official and founder of Boundless Immigration, making the above quote. The piece also quotes Tim Smith, mayor of St. Albans, VT where a USCIS service center is located: “The trickle-down effect on our city is going to be huge.”
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“Some in the White House refuse to act so they can cripple USCIS and further a top goal of this administration to drastically reduce legal immigration.” Nick Miroff of the Washington Post also highlights the impending USCIS furloughs and implications and quotes from Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss): “It seems that some in the White House refuse to act so they can cripple USCIS and further a top goal of this administration to drastically reduce legal immigration. Now, thousands of dedicated federal employees and immigrants who have patiently waited for years are unfairly caught in the middle.”
