USCIS Director on New Enforcement Agents and Citizenship Test Changes

Enhanced Immigration Enforcement

• 🎯 USCIS is adding approximately 200 special agents with law enforcement authority to bolster immigration enforcement.
• 🔍 These agents will focus on identifying fraud in immigration applications, making arrests, and carrying firearms.
• 💡 While USCIS has always had fraud detection units, this expansion provides additional resources to pursue cases to prosecution.

Citizenship Integrity Measures

• 🏠 The agency is resuming neighborhood checks, a practice on the books since the 1950s but not used since the 1990s.
• 📊 In addition to database checks, USCIS will implement social media screening to assess applicants.
• ⚠️ The goal is to understand if applicants are civic-minded, have any concerning police interactions, or engage in anti-American activities before granting citizenship.

Naturalization Test Reform

• 🔑 The current naturalization test, requiring six out of ten correct answers, is considered potentially too easy.
• 🗣️ USCIS plans to re-evaluate the test to ensure it better reflects an applicant's understanding of the rights and privileges of US citizenship.
• 🇺🇸 Changes will also address the English language component, aiming for a higher standard in reading, writing, and speaking to align with statutory requirements and congressional mandates.