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Washington, D.C. --- Seven Democratic New Jersey lawmakers sent a letter today to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff requesting his department reconsider recent immigration procedural changes that would severely hamper the lawmakers' ability to provide critical services to their constituents. The changes were announced in an October 5th email from a Congressional Liaison at the Newark Service Center for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to district and state staffers for the lawmakers.
The letter, initiated by U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), was also signed by U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) Robert Andrews (D-NJ), Steve Rothman (D-NJ), Donald Payne (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
USCIS Congressional Units, including the one in Newark, exist to assist congressional staff with the intricacies of immigration law and to facilitate their ability to help constituents by accessing information about their case status in order to resolve complex immigration cases. In the October 5th email, the USCIS advised Congressional offices to refer constituents to immigration attorneys rather than directly handle their cases.
"Such a request is unacceptable, as many of the people who come for assistance do not have the adequate resources to afford legal representation--Members of congress and their staffs are often our constituents' only advocates," the lawmakers wrote in their letter to Secretary Chertoff, who oversees the USCIS.
"Until recently, district offices were able to offer valuable assistance to constituents that they were unable to receive elsewhere," the lawmakers continued. "Many of our constituents have had difficulty receiving assistance and information from their attorneys and from the USCIS National Customer Service Center. That is why we strive to represent them in their endeavors to work with federal agencies in ways that lawyers are often not able to do."
The changes also include extending the response time on constituents' cases from 30 days to 45 days, and barring Congressional offices from placing phone calls to the Congressional Unit. Instead, all inquiries, regardless of their urgency, are to be submitted via e-mail.
"Imposing such a 'do not call' policy is unreasonable, as sometimes there are general questions regarding appropriate forms, fees or filing locations that are not easily accessible on the USCIS website," the seven lawmakers . "Additionally, some constituents come to my office looking to resolve a matter that can be most easily addressed with a quick telephone call to the district office. Moreover, we would like our staffs to be able to call the Congressional Unit immediately in case of an urgent request and not have to wait up to 48 hours to receive an e-mailed response."
While strongly urging Secretary Chertoff to reject these changes, the lawmakers also recommended that he appoint one individual who would be a "liaison officer," who could be solely responsible for congressional inquiries.
Pallone said that in his three district offices, immigration assistance, including reuniting families, accounts for the majority of constituent casework performed by his district workers. |
