While the mission statement for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) used to be focused on ensuring "America’s promise as a nation of immigrants," it has now replaced that pledge with the lofty goal of administering "the nation’s lawful immigration system," among other things. But none of those things include the agency's commitment to serving immigrants who, for centuries, have sought refuge and the chance for a better life on America's shores.
In effect, the agency's emphasis under USCIS director Francis Cissna has swung from serving immigrants to defending the nation from immigrants. Cissna justified the move, made earlier this year, at an event on Wednesday hosted by the SPLC-designated hate group Center for Immigration Studies. He said he “started from scratch” on the statement and argued the agency isn't there to serve immigrants but rather the American people, writes The Hill :
“I think there has been a misunderstanding of that over the years … People kind of naturally fall into the belief that the individuals that we serve are the people that we interact with every day when we take applications or petitions. [...] I don’t think that we serve them."
Instead, Cissna says their duty is to serve Americans by administering the immigration system. In that vein, an emphasis on enforcement has also been added to the mission statement, which now includes "protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values."
So in essence USCIS is no longer there to serve immigrants, it's there to enforce immigration law with an emphasis on "protecting Americans" and "securing the homeland" from immigrants, who the Trump administration clearly deems to be intruders and treats like criminals. They may as well scrap the “services” part of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and rename it U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Force.
Just one more disgrace foisted upon a nation consisting mostly of immigrants and descendants of immigrants by Trump and his nativist henchman—as if their ancestors weren't immigrants too.
Here's the difference in the mission statements:
Old mission: “USCIS secures America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system."
New mission: “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values."
