Rep. Foster Leads Bipartisan Group to Demand Answers Regarding Insufficient USCIS Correspondence

Washington, DC — Today, Congressman Bill Foster (D-IL) led a bipartisan coalition of 70 Members of Congress in demanding answers from DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow regarding an alarming pattern in Congressional casework over the past several months.

Despite increased funding for USCIS under H.R. 1, the agency’s correspondence with congressional offices has become increasingly problematic. Congressional caseworkers are receiving responses from USCIS liaison services that reference the wrong constituent or case number, fail to address the questions raised in their inquiries, and provide no clear avenue for staff to ask follow-up questions or request additional information.

Congressional USCIS casework often involves children without a parent or guardian and nowhere to go, spouses who are facing separation, or families that have escaped warfare or other traumatic instability. Additionally, USCIS deals with work permits, meaning insufficient correspondence from the agency impacts local businesses.

In the letter to Secretary Mullin and Director Edlow, the Members wrote:

“Congressional caseworkers have become trapped in a frustrating, never-ending cycle that undermines their ability to effectively assist constituents. The Congressional inquiry process is meant to facilitate communication between USCIS and Members of Congress on behalf of the people they represent. 

“When inquiries are met with these inadequate responses—and there is no meaningful avenue for follow-up—that purpose is defeated.”

A copy of the letter and a list of cosigners are available here.

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