USCIS furloughs of 13,000 now likely, halt to legal immigration?

For several months, there has been discussion of possible furloughs of employees in U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS).  With talks in Congress stalled on a new COVID-19 stimulus package, USCIS may furlough 13,000 employees and effectively shut down legal immigration to the United States.  One is left to wonder whether this is just what the Trump administration wants.

Workpermit.com reports that USCIS asked for a $1.2 billion bailout from Congress. Funds for a bailout had been part of a proposed coronavirus stimulus package.  Congress  has failed to reach an agreement on the relief. With a quick resolution unlikely, “any hope of USCIS receiving funds has all but ended. USCIS now seemingly has no other option but to furlough staff, potentially plunging the USA’s immigration system into chaos.”

The Workpermit post includes these thought-provoking “Comments by Sanwar Ali“:

” . . .  Is the threat of a furlough an attempt to put pressure on Congress to agree a deal and provide the $1.2 billion that is apparently needed by USCIS?  If furlough does happen there will be even more delays in the overburdened US immigration system.

Trusted Trump advisers such as anti-immigration `white supremacist’ Stephen Miller may actually be happy if the US visa system grinds to a [halt].  USCIS is headed by immigration hardliner Ken Cuccinelli whose boss is another immigration hardliner Chad Wolf head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  Danielle Spooner, President of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 119, which represents workers within USCIS had the following to say:

`By failing to fund this agency, the administration has managed to use the global pandemic to effectively shut down all immigration to the U.S. by the end of the month, hurting thousands of American families and businesses in the process.”

Previously, it was even suggested that USCIS actually had enough money anyway, and there was no need for a furlough.  Hopefully everyone will see sense and will realise what an enormous embarrassment it will be for the US, and disaster it will be for migrants and businesses if furlough does actually happen.'”

A book on White House Senior Advisor Stephen Miller

KJ