Officers, including those who handle anti-terrorism work and family reunification, have been conscripted to undergo a seven-day training course this week and a 60-day deployment to help with the anticipated migrant surge.
John Lafferty, the head of USCIS's asylum division, who led the briefing, acknowledged that the agency does not have sufficient staff to handle the border surge and continue with its other work. Lafferty said that the administration has clarified that this is a priority and that he can send 600 to 700 asylum officers to the border. Still, it will take 1,100 to 1,200 to prepare for the department's anticipated surge.
USCIS employees expressed anger and frustration during the briefing, with some questioning the agency's authority to make the shift. Some objected on moral grounds, with one officer stating that they believe credible fear applicants are being trafficked into the United States to work off their debt to their smugglers. Another officer asked to be excluded from the program on the same grounds.
WATCH: BILL BARR HAS A SENSE OF HUMOR AFTER ALL
"Fewer cases being done, taking a little longer, to meet the ask that has come to us," Lafferty said.
May 02, 2023
Initially, Lafferty asked for volunteers, but too few people came forward. The mandatory border duty now includes people from other divisions within the agency.
WATCH: JERRY SEINFELD GIVES US THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE DECLINE OF COMEDY
Rosemary Jenks, Vice President at NumbersUSA, a group that argues for stricter immigration controls, said the agency's scramble indicates that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' claim that he has had a plan in place for months to deal with the end of Title 42 is false.
MUST WATCH: IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE THIS UP (FUNNY)
"DHS has known for months when Title 42 would end, so this last-minute, panicked scramble is unconscionable and merits serious investigation by Congress," Jenks said.
The USCIS employees will be ordered to undergo an initial screening of new arrivals who claim to fear being sent back home. That is the first step in claiming Asylum.
WATCH: IT STARTS WITH A FLAG, BUT WHERE DOES IT END?
Those who pass the initial screening are typically released into the U.S. to wait for their asylum cases to be heard, which can take many years, and most end up losing their cases. By then, however, they will have put down roots in the U.S. and become difficult to send home. This foothold is the incentive analysts point to as the driving force behind the record border chaos under the Biden administration.
ELON MUSK SLAMS U.S.-UKRAINE'S "INSANE" SECURITY AGREEMENT
Friday's call revealed startling details about how the administration plans to handle the surge. USCIS employees won't be conducting the "credible fear" interviews face-to-face, and migrants will be placed in phone booths in a border facility where they will be interviewed via phone.
USCIS employees told The Washington Times that a face-to-face interview is critical for judging an applicant's credibility. Lafferty said the phone-booth approach was an accommodation to the urgency of the situation.
If the asylum office is regularly in a normal crunch, it will borrow officers from the refugee section, which is also part of the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate. Mr. Lafferty said the Biden administration plans to expand refugee openings for would-be border migrants, so the refugee division also will be swamped.
SCARY SH*T! ANTI-TALIBAN RESISTANCE LEADER WARNS OF IMMINENT U.S. TERROR ATTACK
Mr. Lafferty said the projections were based on Homeland Security's anticipated numbers. He said USCIS employees were ordered to shift to border duty amid the migrant surge.
According to USCIS, nearly 480 employees with relevant experience have been selected to enroll in a credible fear interview training exercise to prepare for increased staffing and resource requirements, strengthen the agency's operational readiness, and support upcoming processing efforts at the southern border. However, employees who object to the work on moral grounds could face discipline if they refuse to be reassigned.
Discover alternative ideas that will make you think
Engage in mind bending debate
Earn points, rise in rank, have fun
