House of Representatives Holds USCIS Accountable
10/31/19
AILA Doc. No. 19103130.
This week, Congress held two oversight hearings to hold USCIS accountable for defying its statutory mandate.
Video Transcript
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Throughout this Congress, AILA has urged lawmakers
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to hold USCIS accountable for defying its statutory mandate.
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For transforming from a service-oriented benefits agency
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into another DHS enforcement arm.
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This week, the House of Representatives delivered.
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On Tuesday, the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship
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held a hearing revealing the impact of that transformation on our military.
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AILA member and key witness Margaret Stock testified to a series of USCIS policy changes
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that harm our troops, dishonor our veterans, and undermine military recruitment.
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Policy changes are being made without transparency or accountability,
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and without asking key stakeholders first.
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An account emerged of an invisible wall so high
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it’s keeping out service members vital to our national security.
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On Wednesday, the House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
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stepped to the fore.
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In a hearing on USCIS’s elimination of its deferred action adjudications,
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a move since reversed by DHS,
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lawmakers demanded answers from Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli.
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They called him to account not only for seeking to end deferred action,
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but for the agency’s systematic rollback of legal immigration altogether.
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This week’s events make clear that Congress is hearing AILA’s message.
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Which means Congress is hearing your message.
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It’s hearing that your clients,
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that all applicants and petitioners deserve better.
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AILA will keep sounding this message,
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we’ll keep fighting, until we achieve a fair and efficient USCIS,
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one that fulfills its mandate and exemplifies our nation of immigrants.