With no looming legislation in sight and a stalwart in Congress over the incentives, the opportunity will run out going to USCIS is all but diminished. Furloughs, if they happen, could stop the immigration system.
“There is currently no Plan B,” a congressman told CNN, adding that the next likely opportunity to increase funding in September is through appropriation legislation, unless a Covid package comes together. “The question is whether (USCIS will) slow down furloughs and give us that opportunity,” the aide said.
USCIS, a fee-funded agency, has been at the center of Trump’s immigration agenda. In the last three years, the agency has worked out a number of adjustments that have made applying for immigration benefits more challenging.
Some outside experts point to the administration’s restrictive policies as a contributing factor to the budget deficit.
USCIS had previously planned to begin furloughs on Aug. 3, but postponed the date to Aug. 30 following calls for congressional guarantees and an uptick in application and petition receipts, the agency said.
“In recent months, USCIS has taken action to prevent a fiscal crisis, including spending limited to salaries and mission-critical activities,” the agency said in a statement. “Without congressional intervention, USCIS will have to take drastic action to keep the agency solvent.”
When asked about the halted stimulus talks, USCIS declined to comment on any pending legislation. CNN also reached out to the Office of Management and Budget for comment.
Of the nearly 20,000 employees, 13,400 employees run the risk of being furloughed. That has raised alarm among lawmakers, staff and former officials who warn that a disruption in work could bring destruction to the immigration system.
“A furlough would be devastating not only for the civil servants and their families who would be without pay – but also devastating for millions of legal immigrants and legal permanent residents, as well as for millions of U.S. citizens,” said President Michael Knowles, president of the United States. local union of the American Federation of Government Employees representing Washington, DC, employees of territories, lawmakers told in July.
Ur Jaddou, who previously served as chief lawyer of the USCIS, reflected those concerns, emphasizing that a reduced workforce would result in even longer processing times and the system by which hundreds of thousands of immigrants trust.
Jaddou also notes that there could be an increase in applications, which comes with money, before a new compensation scheme goes into effect. “Is it enough to place a plank like plain? I do not know,” she said.
Lawmakers have similarly raised concerns about furloughs. Vice President of the House Appropriations Committee, Patrick Leahy, a Democrat, welcomed news of USCIS delaying furloughs late last month, but said he “remains uneasy that the Trump administration is primarily concerned about this. furloughs pressed. “
The question that will be difficult over the next few weeks is whether those birds will happen this time if planned or rescheduled.
CNN’s Geneva Sands contributed to this report.
.
