The Department of Homeland Security is expanding the office that handles citizenship and issues visas and green cards to include a slew of new law enforcement officers, empowering them to “investigate, arrest and present for prosecution those who violate America’s immigration laws.”
In a statement Thursday, Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the new law enforcement arm would “enforce the laws of this nation.”
“This historic moment will better address immigration crimes, hold those that perpetrate immigration fraud accountable, and act as a force multiplier for DHS and our federal law enforcement partners, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force,” the statement reads.
Expected to take effect in 30 days, USCIS described the move as one that would allow the agency to investigate potential fraud “from start to finish,” according to a Thursday news release, rather than relaying information to Homeland Security Investigations or other federal agencies.
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“This will allow ICE, HSI and ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) to focus on disrupting transnational crime and capturing and deporting illegal aliens,” the release continued. “USCIS will be able to more efficiently clear its backlogs of aliens who seek to exploit our immigration system through fraud, prosecute them, and remove them from the country.”
Immigration policy has taken center stage in President Donald Trump’s second administration. According to an 80-page report by the New York City Bar Association, since Trump took office the number of deportations has skyrocketed, there’s been a purge of immigration judges and illegal southern-border crossings are at an all-time low.
The new CIS law enforcement arm is just one of a spate of changes on deck during Trump’s second term for the once-obscure agency.
Speaking at an event Thursday for conservative think tank the Center for Immigration Studies, Edlow announced that the agency was also considering revising the naturalization test to increase its difficulty.
Among changes to the questions and the test format, Edlow also recommended adding an essay question outlining what becoming an American would represent to the candidate.
While there is no timeline for the proposed changes, USCIS reported last week that it would resume interviewing applicants’ neighbors and coworkers, a practice not enforced since the George H.W. Bush administration.
In July, Edlow argued to The New York Times that H-1B visas should be reserved for high-skilled workers and companies that intend to pay foreign workers higher wages.
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