Details are still coming in about
the full impact of the sequester on the immigration agencies. The
agencies are working on implementation plans for mandatory budget cuts and we
can assume that normal processes are likely to slow down. Here’s some
more detail about what’s going on at the various agencies.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Since USCIS gets most of its
budget from fees, the impact of sequestration might not be felt as immediately
as it is at many of the other agencies. However, there has been
speculation about a “spillover effect,” meaning that, as many USCIS processes
are dependent upon documents and processes from other agencies like CBP and
ICE, the agency will be affected indirectly from the sequester.
Customs and Border Protection & Transportation Security Administration
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano
say that the sequester is already having a major effect on travel
time at airports, with lines increasing to 150% or 200% of their normal
size. This is due to cutbacks on overtime at CBP, and could be
exacerbated as furloughs or changes to overtime kick in for TSA.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement
ICE has received considerable
attention in light of the sequester, after 2,000 undocumented immigrants were
released from detention. In recent days, however, Napolitano has said
that the release was part of the “normal
ebb and flow” of detention, not an immediate result of the sequester.
Still, as Napolitano says the agency does not have the budget to meet the
detention expectations of Congress, it appears the sequester will have a
significant impact on the agency.
Department of State
Secretary of State John Kerry has
said that “[r]eductions in funding would jeopardize the Department’s efforts to
provide secure, error-free travel documents to those eligible to receive them,
while denying them to those not eligible. Reduced funding would also undermine
progress made in ensuring that visa requests are processed in a timely
fashion.”
Patrick Ventrell, the agency’s
acting deputy spokesperson, expanded upon
Kerry’s remarks, saying “[O]ne of the things we are very concerned about is
we’ve done – we’ve had a huge influx of hiring of new consulate officers we
sent out to hotspots like India, China, Brazil, where you have lots of middle
class folks who are trying to come to the U.S. for the first time and visit and
spend their money. It’s good for the American economy. And so we are concerned
that . . . we could have major setbacks in really the herculean effort we’ve
made to reduce wait times.” He noted the huge impact this could have on
the economy, stating “We estimate that for every 65 visitors to the U.S., that
creates one American job.”
Department of Labor
It is unknown exactly what
budgetary cuts will be made at DOL, but the possibility exists that both PERM
and LCA processing will slow down.
Source: American Council on International Personnel, 03/07/2013
