The federal agency tasked with issuing visas and green cards to immigrants will soon expand its ranks to law enforcement, adding armed officers to root out immigration fraud.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provided details about the plans Thursday after a federal rule change was finalized under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. It takes effect in 30 days.
“By upholding the integrity of our immigration system, we enforce the laws of this nation,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in a statement. “This historic moment will better address immigration crimes, hold those that perpetrate immigration fraud accountable, and act as a force multiplier for DHS and our federal law enforcement partners, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force.”
The USCIS has operated as a separate entity from illegal immigration enforcement efforts, but the change comes amid President Trump’s sweeping crackdown on immigrants in the country illegally.
According to a news release on the shift, the USCIS will be authorized to order expedited removal and investigate civil and criminal violations of immigration laws. The USCIS also described the move as one that will allow the agency to investigate potential fraud “from start to finish,” rather than relaying information to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) or other federal agencies.
Edlow, an attorney who Trump tapped to lead the immigration authorization bureau earlier this year, discussed the USCIS’s expanded role during an event Wednesday hosted by the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that advocates for lower immigration numbers.
“What we are looking at incorporating into USCIS is an investigative agency, think more HSI or special agents that we want to use to augment existing special agents already within the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice to really do a deep dive into immigration fraud, into large mass scale fraud, national security issues and other criminality that is within the jurisdiction of the agency,” Edlow said during an event. “Not only can we start an investigation, but now we’re going to have the ability to finish an investigation, present a case for prosecution, and be a real player in the immigration enforcement realm.”
“This is not about arresting aliens, this is about going after fraud and national security cases,” he added.