USCIS Director Testifies Before Subcommittee

USCIS Director Alejandro N. Mayorkas testified two days ago before the House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement on “safeguarding the integrity of the immigration benefits adjudication process.” While many believe that we still operate under a broken system–and obviously, there is always room for improvement–Director Mayorkas did point out some significant steps that USCIS has taken under his helm to increase quality assurance. Some of these measures include a notable emphasis on fraud detection. Under Director Mayorkas, the FDNS–Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate–became its own department as opposed to being an office within a department. Staff increased by approximately 25 percent and new technological programs were launched to increase fraud detection and awareness including VIBE (Validation Instrument for Business Enterprises) and real-time reporting of bulletins. Additionally, the naturalization certificate was redesigned as well as the Employment Authorization Document. We also saw the implementation of the Secure Mail initiative, which allows USCIS to track and confirm delivery of important documents such as green cards, work permits, and travel documents. While national security will always be a priority, let’s hope now that the agency focuses more on rolling out measures to increase efficiency and fairness within the adjudication process.