US immigration services cancels furloughs for 13,000 employees

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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced Tuesday that it has canceled previous plans to lay off 13,000 employees, nearly 70% of the agency’s workforce, by the end of the month.

“Averting this furlough comes at a severe operational cost that will increase backlogs and wait times across the board, with no guarantee we can avoid future furloughs,” USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow said in a statement Tuesday.

The agency, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, processes citizenship, asylum requests, visas and passports – and is largely funded through fees.

FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENCY DELAYS 13,400 POTENTIAL FURLOUGHS UNTIL AUGUST

But the USCIS announced in May that due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was headed toward a $571 million deficit and furloughs were likely.

Edlow said that cost-saving measures such as reducing federal contracts that assist the agency with a range of duties, including large amounts of paperwork, have enabled the agency to refrain from furloughs but will extend waiting periods.

“Anticipated operational impacts include increased wait times for pending case inquiries with the USCIS Contact Center, longer case processing times, and increased adjudication time for aliens adjusting status or naturalizing,” the USCIS statement said Tuesday.

The USCIS said that lawmakers have encouraged the agency not to make these operational changes, but Congress has denied the immigration agency a requested $1.2 billion in emergency funds to assist in with operational needs.

“A return to normal operating procedures requires congressional intervention to sustain the agency through fiscal year 2021,” Edlow said.

It is unclear at this time to the extent at which the operational turnaround will fall, but due to the new changes the agency will see a surplus of $230 million, enabling them to put off furloughs through the end of the year.

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“It is welcome news that these women and men will be able to continue to assist the thousands of United States Citizens, employers, and students in Vermont and around the country who rely on the work of USCIS and would have been impacted by the loss of services,” Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Tuesday. “But the emotional strain placed on these members of our communities who did not know when their next paycheck would come was a completely needless crisis imposed by the Trump administration.”

“I look forward to continuing to work on a long term solution to ensure the solvency of this vital agency into the future,” he added.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, also welcomed the delay in furloughs Tuesday.

“I’m glad USCIS has rethought this decision, which would have crippled our immigration system and left so many in limbo,” Cornyn said in a statement. “The coronavirus pandemic already leaves us with so much uncertainty for the future, and I’m glad USCIS will continue to help families achieve the American Dream.”