The decision came more than a month after the Supreme Court blocked Trump’s attempt to end the program.
“If we had an endpoint in place, we would have already enacted it, but we are going to go through a more meaningful process along the lines that the Supreme Court talked about and we hope to consider all of those factors in depth. Identified and to comply with that order “Cuccinelli said.
During a House hearing on Wednesday morning, Democratic lawmakers slammed a senior U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services official for the administration’s impasse in a DACA decision weeks after the Supreme Court issued its order.
“Mr. Edlow, I understand that you disagree with the Supreme Court decision, but do you believe that compliance with the Supreme Court is an election?” Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington asked Edlow.
“Compliance with the Supreme Court is not an option, however, the mandate did not come in until last week,” Edlow said.
Jayapal repeatedly asked if Edlow consulted with the leadership of the Department of Homeland Security or the White House about the memo.
“The memo was not issued by me. I would refer to Acting Secretary Wolf,” Edlow said, and then admitted that there were talks, but was not consulted on the memo. Edlow said the agency was withholding applications while determining next steps.
“You cannot decide whether or not to comply with the Supreme Court order. It has been a month since the Supreme Court decision to change your requests for prosecution and make sure you comply with that order. You have not done that,” he said. Japayal.
In a subsequent exchange with Representative Lou Correa of California, Edlow said USCIS will issue additional guidance “in the coming days on how we will respond to each type of request.”
USCIS, which is primarily funded by fees, notified Congress of its projected budget deficit in May. The agency generally continues most operations during funding lapses, such as last year’s government shutdown. But during the pandemic, the agency suspended its services in person, including all interviews and some naturalization ceremonies.
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