The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a cabinet department of the United States government first proposed by the U.S. Commission on National Security in January of 2001 and expedited in response to the September 11th attacks. DHS is charged with the primary responsibilities of protecting the United States and its territories. On March 1, 2003, DHS absorbed the Immigration and Naturalization Service (Formerly “INS”) and assumed its duties. In doing so, it divided the enforcement and services functions into two separate and new agencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Additionally, the border enforcement functions of the INS were consolidated into a new agency under DHS called U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
DHS has been on the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO’s) “High Risk” list of programs every year since the agency was first created. Problems within DHS have been specifically highlighted in the press of late due to concerns that the DHS needs to be fixed in order to effectively set forth appropriate immigration reform actions. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle agree that our current immigration system is “broken.” Apart from border and security issues raised by Republicans, fixing DHS would also help intending immigrants meet with a more effective application process, due to a track record of inefficiencies and processing errors.
A group of first-term Republican Representatives on the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee has introduced bills aiming to streamline operations, scrutinize spending and increase transparency at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to a committee news release. In particular, seven United States Representatives, chaired by U.S. Representative Michael McCaul, R-Texas, introduced one bill apiece, addressing issues from updating the department’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) practices to requiring annual financial reports on spending for research to improving information technologies.
The Shulman Law Group, LLC is on the pulse of understanding and disseminating knowledge regarding any new changes to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and how it may impact intending immigrants. Until DHS reform is effectuated, our office has been successful in intervening and advocating on behalf of our clients to ensure that processing errors made by the government are expediently corrected. In particular, when DHS inefficiencies and mistakes occur, our attorneys expediently contact the appropriate supervisors in the specific offices within DHS to ameliorate the situation for our clients and to optimize their chances for application approvals.