The House on Saturday unanimously passed a bill to temporarily prevent major staffing furloughs at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) due to budget shortfalls.
The sponsors of the bill described the bill as a triple win, meaning that the USCIS gets additional revenue that would prevent immediate furloughs, premium processing applicants get expanded and more reliable service, and the fees collected from premium applicants may be used to address backlogs and adjudication delays for other applicants.
Lofgren noted that furloughs at this scale would have a “devastating impact” on the USCIS’s ability to provide immigration and naturalization services to American businesses and families for “many months, if not years, to come.”
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.), one of the bill’s sponsors, said the bipartisan effort is critical in preventing a potential increase of illegal immigration.
“Without a quick bipartisan effort, an essential federal agency will be demoralized, legal immigration will be backlogged, and illegal immigration will surge,” said Fortenberry.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USCIS has seen a dramatic decrease in revenue and is seeking a one-time emergency request for funding to ensure we can carry out our mission of administering our nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity, and protecting the American people,” the agency said in June. “Importantly, this funding proposal protects American taxpayers by not adding to the deficit and requiring USCIS to pay the money back to the U.S. Treasury.”