The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has a new mission statement, announced yesterday:
The old statement, under President Trump, read:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.
The new statement removes the wording about “protecting Americans” and “securing the homeland,” emphasizing instead “welcome“:
USCIS upholds America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility with fairness, integrity, and respect for all we serve.
In an email regarding the change, USCIS director Ur Mendoza Jaddou, whose parents are from Iraq and Mexico, said, “This new mission statement reflects the inclusive character of both our country and this agency. The United States is and will remain a welcoming nation that embraces people from across the world who seek family reunification, employment or professional opportunities, and humanitarian protection.”
The move was, unsurprisingly hailed by the migrant-happy left:
Ali Noorani, president of the National Immigration Forum, said, “The agency is right to reframe its mission and emphasize dignity and fairness. In a nation that depends on immigrants, but where too many are stuck in legal-immigration logjams, the administration must strive to live up to these values.”
Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, said changing the statement was a “notable step in the right direction.”
Allen Orr, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, declared, “The words in the new USCIS mission statement make clear that our nation acknowledges what is owed to the immigrants who have contributed immensely to our society and have made America home.”
The agency’s mission statement has changed before. The original statement, which dated from 2005, read:
USCIS secures America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.
The 2018 statement change under President Trump dropped the “nation of immigrants” cant of the Bush administration.