Bill To Authorize And Reform Key Immigration Agencies
Introduction:
On May 11, 2017, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob
Goodlatte introduced two bills to authorize and reauthorize key
immigration component agencies at the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security with the goal of ensuring the U.S. immigration laws are
enforced and maintain the integrity of America’s immigration
system.1 The bill was sent to the House as a whole for
consideration on May 24, 2017.2 Authorization bills
direct how federal funds should or should not be used and are
typically made for single fiscal years, but are often renewed in
subsequent law.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Authorization
Act
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Authorization Act
(H.R. 2406) makes reforms to Homeland Security Investigations and
Enforcement and Removal Operations within Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE). The bill would also codify the Victims of
Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE), an office created by
the Trump Administration to provide access to information and
resources to victims of crimes committed by removable aliens as
well as to the families of victims. This bill would increase the
number of ICE officers.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Reauthorization
Act
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Reauthorization
Act (H.R. 2407) reauthorizes USCIS, which is agency that is tasked
with processing immigrant and nonimmigrant benefits petitions for
those seeking temporary visas, lawful permanent residence,
international adoption, and others. USCIS also adjudicates
naturalization applications and manages the E-Verify system.
Roles and Responsibilities within USCIS
The text of the Act establishes USCIS discusses the role of the
USCIS director, agents and officers of USCIS, and the USCIS Deputy
Director. The section also details the duties and roles within the
Office of Homeland Security Investigations, Office of Enforcement
and Removal Operations, Office of Management and Administration,
and others.3 Specifically, under the bill, the USCIS
Director is required to have at least five years of management
experience. The Director will be responsible for running the agency
and establishing the national immigration services policies and
priorities. The bill authorizes the Field Operations Directorate
whose Associate Director is responsible for managing all USCIS
field offices as well as overseeing the adjudication of immigration
benefits applications and petitions, applicant interviews,
naturalization ceremonies, and background checks for those applying
or petitioning for benefits. It also authorizes the Service Center
Operations Directorate whose Associate Director oversees the five
USCIS Service Centers responsible for adjudicating benefits for
petitions that do not require interviews.
The bill codifies ethics guidelines to prevent USCIS employees
from improperly influencing the outcome of a case. The bill
authorizes the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations
Directorate whose Associate Director is responsible for overseeing
refugee application adjudication and interviews, asylum application
adjudication and interviews, and international adoptions and other
humanitarian programs such as parole.
Fraud Prevention and National Security
In response to much of the current rhetoric that speaks to
preventing fraud in the immigration system and protecting national
security, the bill strengthens the mission of USCIS to
“efficiently adjudicate immigration benefits petitions and
applications for foreign nationals seeking legal immigration status
in the United States and those seeking to become Americans, in a
manner consistent with detecting and preventing fraud, while
protecting American jobs and working conditions, and while ensuring
the national security and welfare of the American people.” It
authorizes the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate
whose Associate Director is responsible for ensuring immigration
benefits are not granted to individuals who pose a threat to
national security or public safety, or who seek to defraud our
immigration system.
Citizenship Responsibilities
The bill authorizes the Office of Citizenship to promote
instruction and training on citizenship responsibilities, as well
as assimilation, for eligible aliens who are interested in becoming
naturalized citizens of the United States. The bill ensures the
External Affairs Directorate office provides clear, accurate, and
timely responses to inquiries from applicants or petitioners, and
is transparent with the American people.4
Verify
Many recent bills have addressed E-verify. For example, the
E-Verify Bill re-introduced by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman
Chuck Grassley in January would permanently authorize the E-Verify
program and require employers to use the E-Verify
program.5 Like the bill introduced by Senator Grassley,
The bill introduced by Goodlatte bill makes voluntary E-Verify
permanent. It also authorizes the Immigration Record and Identity
Services Directorate whose Associate Director is responsible for
managing E-Verify and the SAVE program, as well as overseeing
USCIS’ biometrics collection services and historical records
management and storage.
Conclusion
Congressman Goodlatte stated, “In addition to reauthorizing
these two agencies, we also need to make a number of changes to our
laws to improve immigration enforcement and prevent fraud and abuse
in the system. I look forward to bringing the ICE Authorization Act
and the USCIS Reauthorization Act before the House Judiciary
Committee in the coming weeks.”
Footnotes
1 https://goodlatte.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=877
2 https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/115/hr2406
3 https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/2407
4 https://judiciary.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/051117-USCIS-Authorization.pdf
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