Newsweek: ‘Alarming Pattern’ of USCIS Errors Troubles Bipartisan Lawmakers

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is demanding answers from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) after what they described as an "alarming pattern" of inaccurate, unresponsive correspondence that has frustrated congressional offices helping constituents navigate the immigration system.

"We write to express our concern regarding an alarming pattern that has emerged in Congressional casework involving USCIS over the past several months," 72 lawmakers led by Representative Bill Foster wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow. The lawmakers said congressional offices have experienced "significant difficulties" working with USCIS liaisons, resulting in delays for constituents and wasted time for both congressional staff and agency personnel.

The letter, signed by 71 Democrats and one Republican, comes amid mounting complaints from lawmakers that the agency's responses to congressional inquiries have become increasingly generic, inaccurate and difficult to follow up on.

A spokesperson at the Department of Homeland Security told Newsweek the agency “responds to official correspondence through official channels.”

What Does the Letter Say?

According to the lawmakers, congressional caseworkers have received responses addressed to the wrong staffers, identifying the wrong constituents and containing information that either failed to answer the question asked or included factual inconsistencies. They also said USCIS responses now rarely identify the individual liaison handling a case, instead being signed simply as "Congressional Liaison."

The lawmakers argued that the problems have persisted despite Congress providing additional funding for the agency through President Donald Trump's sweeping tax-and-spending package, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. "The quality of USCIS's Congressional liaison services appears to have declined," they wrote.

Under the Trump administration, USCIS, an immigration benefits agency, has increasingly tilted its focus toward enforcement priorities, emphasizing fraud investigations and heightened scrutiny of immigration applications while playing a larger role in efforts supporting Trump's mass deportation agenda. The administration has also increased arrests at routine USCIS appointments, including green card interviews.

One example highlighted in the letter involved a congressional inquiry about a constituent's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, case. After seeking an update, congressional staff received a response stating only that "a decision" had been issued. The response did not explain what the decision was and instead directed staff to publicly available USCIS case-status tools.

File photo: the USCIS San Jose Field Office is seen from outside in Santa Clara, California, April 30, 2022.

File photo: the USCIS San Jose Field Office is seen from outside in Santa Clara, California, April 30, 2022.

In another case, a congressional office asked whether a constituent had received a final approval notice after previously obtaining conditional approval. Lawmakers said USCIS responded with language discussing expedited processing despite no request for expedited processing having been made.

The letter also pointed to what lawmakers described as a glaring timeline error in a response concerning an employment authorization document. USCIS informed congressional staff that a work permit was approved on July 21 and produced on July 27, while also stating that postal records showed it had been mailed on June 28 and delivered on June 30, weeks before it was approved.

Lawmakers said the problems are compounded by the fact that responses are sent from a no-reply email address, preventing congressional offices from requesting clarification directly. Instead, staff must submit a new inquiry through USCIS's congressional portal, often facing another lengthy wait for a response.

"In many cases, the subsequent response is equally unresponsive or lacking in substance, creating a cycle of repeated inquiries that wastes caseworkers' time and delays assistance for constituents," the lawmakers wrote.

The letter was led by Foster, an Illinois Democrat, and signed by dozens of House Democrats, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Jamie Raskin, Ilhan Omar and Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Representative Nick LaLota of New York was the lone Republican signer, giving the effort bipartisan backing.

"The Congressional inquiry process is meant to facilitate communication between USCIS and Members of Congress on behalf of the people they represent," the lawmakers wrote. "When inquiries are met with these inadequate responses, and there is no meaningful avenue for follow-up, that purpose is defeated."

If USCIS does not address the concerns raised in the letter, lawmakers could pursue additional oversight measures, including requesting further briefings from agency officials, demanding more detailed responses to congressional inquiries and seeking records related to the agency’s congressional liaison operations.

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Members of Congress could also raise the issue at oversight hearings, press the Department of Homeland Security for corrective action or use the appropriations process to increase scrutiny of USCIS's performance.

If problems persist, lawmakers could consider legislative changes requiring clearer standards for responding to congressional casework, greater accountability for inaccurate or incomplete responses and regular reporting to Congress on the agency’s handling of constituent inquiries.