US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has modified its mission statement (welcome immigrants) to reflect the Biden commitment to an immigration system that is accessible and humane. The new mission statement replaces Trump’s tenure, which controversially deleted the phrase (nation of immigrants).
“Immigrants from all over the world should be free to go to other nations as long as they are not doing so unlawfully. Denying them this right can be frustrating and dehumanizing,” says immigration attorney Mario Godoy. Many non-US citizens were barred from entering the nation due to immigration policies by Donald Trump, thereby necessitating new policies that are fair to US immigrants.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
The USCIS is the government agency overseeing legal immigration to the US. USCIS employs over 19,000 federal workers and contractors in over 200 locations around the globe.
The USCIS objective is to fulfill the promise of America as a nation of welcome and possibilities with justice, integrity, and respect for those they serve. The following are some of the core values of USCIS:
- Integrity: remain truthful in all interactions with the public, coworkers, and Residents of the US. To never lose sight of the importance of the trust given to them by the American people to run the immigration system fairly, honestly, and correctly.
- Respect: to be respectful when taking action. Also, to ensure everyone is treated with dignity and courtesy no matter the result of the case in question.
- Innovation: USCIS will endeavor to identify the most efficient means of achieving their objectives when they face future hurdles. USCIS will rely on innovation, resourcefulness, creativity, and strong management practices to achieve world-class achievements,
- Vigilance: in this period of rising global threats and security difficulties, USCIS will stay conscious of its responsibility to offer immigration services that build and improve US security.
The Aim of the New USCIS Mission Statement
Nearly four years after the Trump administration removed the phrase from the USCIS slogan, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new mission statement calling the United States a nation of welcome.
However, immigrant supporters have praised the Biden updated version of the mission statement, which acknowledges the USCIS purpose and what the United States stands for. The new mission statement also more accurately reflects the Biden tenure’s commitment to an accessible and humane immigration system.
The revision in the mission statement is part of the attempt on the Biden administration to eliminate the remains of the immigration plan from the Trump administration. This immigration plan focused on barring most forms of legal immigration and using harsh words toward immigrants.
President Biden Steps to Reform the US Immigration System
The tactic from President Biden generates from the idea that a fair, safe, and orderly immigration system makes the country safer, stronger, and more prosperous. He understands that new Americans are the engine that drives the US economy as innovators and job creators in every American industry and contributors to the US arts, culture, and governance. As a result, he proposes the following steps for a more effective US immigration system:
#1. Putting Together a Family Reunification Task Force
Families, according to President Biden, belong together. He has made it clear that reversing immigration policy by Trump, which has resulted in numerous families divided at the border, is a top goal for him. Forming a task group to reunite families divided is part of this endeavor.
This task force will coordinate efforts throughout the US government with key stakeholders and representatives from affected families to locate parents and children separated by the Trump administration policy. The task committee will suggest to the President and federal agencies ways to bring back families together.
Furthermore, the task committee will report to the President regularly and make recommendations to avert such disasters from recurring. The order also revoked the Trump administration Executive Order that tried to justify separating children from their parents.
#2. Establish a Humane Asylum System
There has been a generation of chaos, cruelty, and uncertainty by the Trump administration policies at the border. These policies have jeopardized community safety in the United States, penalized asylum seekers fleeing violence, and weakened security throughout the Western World. The Biden-Harris Administration will begin rolling back the disastrous policies while also taking meaningful steps to regulate migration across the region.
The Biden Harris administration will enforce a three-part strategy for a fair immigration system; it will first address the root causes of migration by developing a means to combat the instability, violence, and economic insecurity driving people to flee their homes. Second, the administration will work with regional partners, such as foreign governments, international organizations, and non-profit organizations, to strengthen other nation-capacity to provide protection and opportunities to asylum seekers and migrants nearer to home. Finally, the government will ensure that Central American asylum seekers and refugees can enter the United States legally.
The Secretary of Homeland Security received mandates to review the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program. Due to the significant damage done over the last four years, the situation at the border will not improve suddenly; the President is devoted to a strategy that keeps the country safe, strong, and successful while also reflecting the US values. This Executive Order also mandates a set of moves to restore the US asylum system, including the revocation and reconsideration of a slew of Trump Administration proclamations, rules, and guidance documents that eventually locked the US border to asylum applicants.
#3. Restore Public Confidence in legal Immigration System and Encourage Integration of New Americans
According to President Biden, immigrants are fundamental to who they are as a country and their hopes for the future. The previous administration established hundreds of measures that contradict American history and harm her reputation as a nation of opportunity, open and inviting to all who seek safety and opportunity in the United States.
This executive order strengthens the White House involvement in directing the federal government policy to encourage immigrant integration and inclusion, including re-creating a Special Unit on New Americans and guaranteeing that the US legal immigration system runs smoothly. The order directs agencies to perform a top-to-bottom overview of previous regulations, practices, and guidelines that have erected hurdles to the immigration system in the United States.
Final Thought
The change in the mission statement of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) heralds a new era for US immigrants. It entails removing all traces of Trump immigration policies, centering on restricting US immigration channels, and uttering harsh statements toward immigrants. Furthermore, It will also improve and generate many immigration benefits, including green card applications, asylum, refugee status, US citizenship, work permits, deportation deferrals, and other immigration benefits.
