Permits could halt the U.S. immigration system and create a massive loss of agency jobs.
The agency has blamed the pandemic for a decrease in incoming revenue for the fee-based agency, but employees, lawmakers and outside experts have voiced concern that while Covid-19 worsened the budget deficit, it was not the only one cause.
“Due to recent assurances from Congress that they are working to provide USCIS with emergency funds, we may delay the effective date of the administrative permit from August 3, 2020 to August 30, 2020 to give Congress more time to act.” Joseph Edlow, deputy chief policy officer, said in a memorandum to the workforce on Friday.
Edlow said the change was due to improved incoming earnings since the workforce first reported the leave. However, he said the agency still requires funds from Congress to maintain operations until fiscal year 2021.
“The USCIS funding request of $ 1.2 billion remains unchanged and the agency depends on Congress to provide emergency funds to ensure that the agency’s operations continue without interruption,” agency spokeswoman Jessica Collins said in a statement. .
Earlier this week, two Democratic senators are called to the agency to postpone their planned permits. The request came after revised estimates showed the agency will end the fiscal year with a surplus, not the originally projected deficit, according to lawmakers.
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