WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman David Schweikert (AZ-06) sent a letter to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of the Department of Homeland Security, urging him to immediately and fully reopen U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in order to address legal immigration backlogs and fulfill the nation’s immigration policies. 

“The Biden Administration has taken our immigration system and flipped it on its head” said Rep. Schweikert. “Instead of working to decrease illegal immigration and streamline legal immigration, President Biden has done the complete opposite. A record number of illegal crossings have taken place in the 15 months since President Biden took office. In that same period, the backlog of legal immigration forms has surpassed eight million. This is completely unacceptable. I am urging Secretary Mayorkas to fully reopen USCIS offices immediately, to work through these backlogs and complete the work this agency has been assigned to do.”

Background

Under direction from the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services plans to partially reopen on June 4, 2022. Currently, the backlog for immigration benefits has surpassed eight million, and employment authorization backlogs have reached nearly 1.5 million.  

This letter was also signed by: Rep. Bob Gibbs (OH-07), Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01), Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Rep. Nancy Mace (SC-01), Rep. Brian Mast (FL-18), Rep. Ralph Norman (SC-05), Rep. John Rutherford (FL-04), and Rep. Troy Balderson (OH-12).  

To read the full text of the letter, click here. 

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