The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has removed the phrase “nation of immigrants” from its mission statement, instead focusing on their job to promote legal immigration “while protecting Americans.”
A USCIS official stated that the new mission statement more accurately reflects the agency’s goals of focusing on “fairness, lawfulness and efficiency, protecting American workers, and safeguarding the homeland.”
The previous statement had focused on new immigrants as “customers” and granting “benefits,” while promising to secure “America’s promise as a nation of immigrants.”
Top immigration agency will no longer refer to US as a “nation of immigrants” in mission statement https://t.co/kB2MGIvsYz pic.twitter.com/d4iTKmJUjh
— The Hill (@thehill) February 22, 2018
The new statement drops the term “customers,” promises to fairly consider requests for benefits rather than simply granting them, and vows to protect the American worker.
The mission statement now reads:
“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 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.”
The aptly named senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin, blasted the Trump Administration for making the change and vowed to still call America a “nation of immigrants.”
“The Trump Administration can change a mission statement but they can’t change our history and we won’t let them change our future – we are and always will be a nation of immigrants,” he tweeted.
Others attributed the change to President Trump himself.
Trump just decided we’re no longer a nation of immigrants. https://t.co/dbpxwt6tT5 pic.twitter.com/53PZsCh2Wt
— John Aravosis (@aravosis) February 22, 2018
The agency, however, denies the move was made at the behest of the President.
“The White House did not direct USCIS to change its mission statement,” a spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “It was developed and debuted within the agency by USCIS Director [Lee] Cissna during his first senior leadership conference with USCIS staff, and reflects the director’s guiding principles for the agency.”
Cissna issued a statement explaining the importance of the mission statement alterations.
“We are also responsible for ensuring that those who naturalize are dedicated to this country, share our values, assimilate into our communities, and understand their responsibility to help preserve our freedom and liberty,” he said.
Now watch as Democrats start claiming that statement is racist.
Do you agree with the USCIS removing the phrase “nation of immigrants” from their mission statement? Tell us why or why not below!
