U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released its new “inclusive” mission statement on Wednesday in which it calls the United States a “nation of welcome.”
“USCIS upholds America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility with fairness, integrity, and respect for all we serve,” the mission statement reads. The USCIS processes requests for visas, citizenship and humanitarian protection.
A news release from the agency explained that USCIS leadership “empowered employees to submit words that they felt best illustrated the agency’s work” last year, and the new mission statement” is a reflection of this feedback from the workforce,” as well as “the priorities of the Biden Administration” and Director Ur M. Jaddou’s “vision for an inclusive and accessible agency.”
“At its core, USCIS is about delivering decisions to families, businesses, workers, and those seeking refuge in our country on their applications, petitions, requests, and appeals. This new mission statement reflects the inclusive character of both our country and this agency,” Jaddou said in a statement. “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.”
Jaddou said the USCIS “makes the possibility of America a reality for immigrants, the communities and economies they join, and the nation as a whole.”
“At USCIS, we know that every time we grant an immigration or naturalization benefit, we are fostering the opportunity to help us build a stronger America. And when we offer refuge to those in need of protection we are living up to our nation’s highest ideals,” Jaddou continued.
“USCIS is committed to ensuring that the immigration system we administer is accessible and humane,” the director added. “As we look towards the future, my commitment will remain the same – USCIS will continue to serve the public with respect and fairness, and lead with integrity to reflect America’s promise as a nation of welcome and possibility today and for generations to come.”
The change comes exactly four years since former President Donald Trump’s USCIS director L. Francis Cissna removed “nation of immigrants” from the agency’s mission statement. He later revised the statement to say that USCIS “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.”
Prior to the Trump administration’s changes, the agency’s mission statement declared that it “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.”
During President Biden’s first year in office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested 1,734,686 illegal immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Another 500,000 illegal immigrants have already been arrested just three months into FY22.
