iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
A ‘nation of welcome and possibility’ – is what the US would like the rest of the world to think as. The US trying to shed the “exclusivism” image that the country has been painting itself with, especially during the Trump era.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has unveiled this new mission statement projecting itself as a nation that welcomes possibility with fairness, integrity and respect for all we serve.
The new mission statement is a stark contrast to the step taken by the Trump administration, which in February 2018, had deleted the reference to America being a ‘nation of immigrants from the mission statement.
Under the Trump administration, USCIS resorted to extreme vetting – for instance, under a policy change, each visa extension – such as for H-1B visas, was treated as a new application. This had led to an increase in requests for additional documentation (known as requests for evidence – RFEs) which increased administrative costs for sponsoring employers and led to delays. Or in other instances, there was an outright denial of visa extensions on various grounds.
In April last year, this was done away with, and USCIS resorted to its earlier practice of deferring to previous approvals when extending visas.
A release from the USCIS states that the new mission statement is a reflection of feedback from its employees on the agency’s role, the priorities of the Biden Administration, and Director Ur Jaddou’s vision for an inclusive and accessible agency.
“At its core, USCIS is about delivering decisions to families, businesses, workers, and those seeking refuge in our country on their applications, petitions, requests, and appeals. This new mission statement reflects the inclusive character of both our country and this agency. The US is and will remain a welcoming nation that embraces people from across the world who seek family reunification, employment or professional opportunities, and humanitarian protection,” said Ur Jaddou, director, USCIS.
Jaddou emphasized that, “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.”
The agency’s leadership is signaling that it will take a new, less hostile tone towards applications. I expect for this notion to take a while to trickle down to the everyday work of USCIS, but it is great to see the leadership’s stance changing.”
She added that while the USCIS is not an enforcement agency, that job is given to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the line has been muddied over the years. “The USCIS’ role should be to facilitate lawful immigration to the US for qualified applicants. Nothing else,” Doyle posted.
While the term ‘nation of immigrants’ has not been reinstated, the new mission statement has a welcoming tone that promises fairness when dealing with immigrant applications.
