#GovernmentShutdown #TrumpShutdown effect on Immigration Services

Jan 06, 2019 News

By Attorney Gail Seeram

In light of President Trump’s refusal to sign a bill to prevent a #GovernmentShutdown that does not include border wall funding, a partial government shutdown is currently in effect. Approximately 25 percent of government functions are shut down.
Immigration-related agencies that are impacted by the shutdown include the Department of Homeland Security and its immigration-related components (CBP, ICE, USCIS, CIS Ombudsman), the Department of Justice (EOIR), and the Department of State.
See below for information as to how these agencies operate during prior shutdown periods. We will update this page with additional information from the agencies as it becomes available.
Department of State (DOS): U.S. passport services will continue to be offered during the lapse of appropriations for the federal government. The State Department will keep issuing passports and visas — although it warns that such activities “will remain operational as long as there are sufficient fees to support operations.” U.S. Embassies remain open and essential workers will get back pay once a new spending bill is passed, but non-essential workers who are not working will not get paid.
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services: USCIS announced that a lapse in annual appropriated funding does not affect USCIS’s fee-funded activities. USCIS offices will remain open, and all individuals should attend interviews and appointments as scheduled. USCIS will continue to accept petitions and applications. Please attend your biometrics appointments, citizenship interviews and visa appointments.
EOIR Immigration Court: Detained cases and court hearings will proceed as scheduled. Non-detained docket cases will be reset for a later date after funding resumes. Immigration courts will issue an updated notice of hearing to respondents or, if applicable, respondents’ representatives of record for each reset hearing.
U.S. Customs & Border Protection: The www.cbp.gov website will not be updated during the government shutdown. Transactions submitted via this website might not be processed and we will not be able to respond to inquiries until after appropriations are enacted. Inspection and law enforcement personnel are considered “essential.” Ports of entry will be open; however, processing of applications filed at the border may be impacted.
Immigration and Custom Enforcement: ICE enforcement and removal operations will continue, and ICE attorneys will typically focus on the detained docket during a shutdown. The ICE Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) offices are unaffected since SEVP is funded by fees.
Department of Labor (DOL) will not be impacted by a government shutdown.
At the end of the day, Trump continues to play the blame game and is more concerned with his ego than the effect the shutdown has on lives of everyday Americans and contract workers abroad who live paycheck to paycheck. A government shutdown has a major effect not only on who goes to work but also what work gets done.
Attorney Gail Seeram, LL.M., J.D., BBA
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email: Gail@GailLaw.com
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Copyright © Law Offices of Gail S. Seeram, 2019. All Rights Reserved.

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