The Department of Homeland Security’s citizenship agency revealed a new mission statement Wednesday, removing Trump-era references to security and safeguards and instead focusing on welcoming newcomers.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees legal visas and green cards and oversees the naturalization system, said the agency needed to refocus on its role as an “accessible and humane” system for immigrants.
The new mission statement reads: “USCIS upholds America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility with fairness, integrity, and respect for all we serve.”
“The work of USCIS makes the possibility of America a reality for immigrants, the communities and economies they join, and the nation as a whole,” said Ur Jaddou, the agency’s director. “At USCIS, we know that every time we grant an immigration or naturalization benefit, we are fostering the opportunity to help us build a stronger America. And when we offer refuge to those in need of protection we are living up to our nation’s highest ideals.”
Since its creation nearly two decades ago, USCIS has struggled to find its identity.
Under Democratic administrations, it’s viewed as the federal government’s welcoming committee for would-be migrants, deeming them the customers to be served. Republican administrations say Americans are the agency’s customers, and the agency’s decisions must be focused on what best serves the needs of those already here.
“This mission statement further underscores that screening and vetting and the impact of immigration on the American people is not at all a concern of the Biden administration,” said Robert Law, who was a senior USCIS official under President Trump and now works at the Center for Immigration Studies
Plus, he said, the new statement is “not even grammatically correct.”
Immigrant-rights activists, though, said the agency was signaling an important shift.
“It is a recognition that America’s promise does not solely refer to our nation’s boundless potential, but also to our obligation as leader of the free world to protect the most vulnerable,” said Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.
The battle over priorities has played out in the agency’s mission statements over the years.
Before the Trump administration, the statement read: “USCIS secures America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.”
In 2018, the agency deleted the “nation of immigrants” language and the focus on immigrants as customers, and front-loaded the security mission: “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.”
Critics blasted those changes, calling them emblematic of the “invisible wall” they said USCIS was erecting to limit legal migration under Mr. Trump.
But Francis Cissna, the Trump-era director who made the changes, said treating immigrants as customers created what’s become known as the “get-to-yes” approach within the agency, undercutting the focus on making good judgments about who should be allowed into the country.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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