A cursory review of the news releases on the USCIS website confirms that the current administration cares more about immigration crackdowns and deportations than family unification. It’s actually much worse. The New York Times reported on Sunday, November 30, 2025 on the disturbing trend of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in coordination with USCIS Field Offices around the country, detaining and seeking to deport spouses of U.S. citizens who filed their applications for green cards after their visitor stay expired. Never mind that a statute specifically allows so-called overstayers to apply for and receive a green card without such draconian and inhumane treatment. The rumor mill reports that ICE has quotas and that spouses visiting local offices to complete the green card process are both easy and captive targets to get their numbers. The end result for the vast majority, if not all, of persons arrested at local offices is that they will get their green cards but only after navigating the deportation machinery and presenting their cases to an immigration judge.
USCIS Field Offices primarily conduct interviews for individuals seeking green cards and applying for naturalization. Until this year, it generally was a welcoming, albeit formal, environment to take the next step in the immigration journey. Rather than the former helpful reminders on where to get immigration forms and to inform USCIS of a new address if you move, the television monitors at Field Officers now repeat two messages: (1) If you are here illegally, leave now, and (2) Immigration marriage fraud is a serious crime.
Keeping with the theme of crime and punishment, USCIS has re-branded the job title of Immigration Officer to Homeland Defender. These are the USCIS personnel at the Field Offices who conduct interviews. This new job title follows closely on the heels of the announcement that such employees will be authorized to carry firearms for their office-based jobs of meeting with and interviewing individuals applying for immigration benefits.
Trying to deport spouses of U.S. citizens with an existing statutory path to U.S. residency. Repeating threatening messages at local offices. Renaming and arming staff who conduct interviews. Where does this end? Imagine visiting the local bureau of motor vehicles office to renew your driver license, which, by oversight expired the week prior. You first observe that the clerk at the counter has a firearm on his waist. You next are surprised by two masked individuals who handcuff and put you in jail. You then need to pay bail to be released, go before a judge, pay exorbitant fines and costs, and finally, with luck, get your new license a few months later.
This is inhumane and must stop. Contact your elected officials to share your views and ask that they use their congressional oversight authority to investigate and put an end to these practices.