Similar drive-thru ceremonies are being held
around the country, but perhaps for not much
longer. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
says a budget crisis could force the agency to
furlough nearly three-quarters of its workforce,
severely curtailing operations as tens of
thousands of people wait to become citizens.
That could have potential political
consequences, especially in states such as
Michigan and Florida where the number of
newly naturalized Americans already exceeds
the narrow margin of victory for President
Donald Trump in 2016.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you have several
hundred thousand people who are not in a
position to vote in this election but would have
been if business had been progressing normally
at USCIS,” said Randy Capps of the Migration
Policy Institute. “That’s been everyone’s concern.”
The citizenship agency has not detailed publicly
how it will operate if it doesn’t get $1.2 billion
in emergency funding from Congress before
Aug. 3. It said in a written response to questions
that “all USCIS operations will be impacted by a
furlough” that covers more than 13,000 workers.
USCIS derives nearly all its $4.8 billion budget
from fees it charges to people who apply to live
or work in the country. Revenue was already in
decline under Trump, whose administration has
imposed a number of immigration restrictions.
The agency says COVID-19 caused it to drop
by half.
“The effects of the coronavirus pandemic
are long reaching and pervasive, leaving few
unscathed in its wake,” Acting Director Joseph
Edlow said.