Civil servants working in the Department of Homeland Security’s various immigration agencies have little or no expectation of substantive changes after Nov. 5, according to former officials who served in the past two administrations.
Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have pledged immediate action to secure the border and combat legal and illegal immigration. But without Congress, neither will be able to achieve the big goals they are presenting to voters.
Morgan Bailey, who worked for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for more than a decade, told Newsweek that the agency’s staff was skeptical of both candidates’ immigration claims.
“It’s been more than 40 years that people haven’t had any hope that Congress will do meaningful reform,” Bailey said, referring to the last comprehensive immigration reform under President Ronald Reagan. said.
“There are a lot of strong opinions on both sides, so I don’t think it’s likely to result in any meaningful action in Congress, at least for the first few years of either administration.”
Left: People are sworn in as new U.S. citizens near the American flag during a special naturalization ceremony on October 21, 2024 on the Hollywood Sign Terrace at the historic Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California…. Left: People taking the oath as new U.S. citizens approach the Star-Spangled Banner during a special naturalization ceremony on the Hollywood Sign Terrace at the historic Griffith Observatory on October 21, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Right: Supporters cheer at former US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign rally at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona, on October 13, 2024. Center: The Department of Homeland Security logo is seen during a press conference in Washington, February 25, 2015. Mario Tama/Rebecca Noble/Getty Images/AP Photo
Presidential authority does not fix borders.
Immediate action on issues like immigration often comes from presidents, with both Trump and President Joe Biden taking executive actions to tighten border security, increase protections for immigrants and restrict asylum.
In 2022, the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute estimates that President Trump enacted more than 470 different executive changes related to immigration during his first term in the White House, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes orders to close the U.S.-Mexico border and significantly limit visa processing.
Biden sought to roll back many of these when he took office in 2021, expanding protections for undocumented immigrants and those from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, as well as introducing entry restrictions at the southwest border.
“Employees say it’s really tough going from one extreme to another,” Bailey said.
“It’s difficult when you put your heart and soul into a particular program or a particular approach and then there are big changes, sometimes put on hold, sometimes scrapped, sometimes significantly revised under a new administration.”
Haydee Zetino waits for a bus after her shift as a maid at Harrah’s Hotel Casino on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, September 12, 2024 in Las Vegas. Zettino, an immigrant from El Salvador, has benefited… Haydee waits for a bus after working a shift as a maid at Harrah’s Hotel Casino on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday, September 12, 2024 in Las Vegas. Mr. Zetino. Zetino, an immigrant from El Salvador, received temporary protected status after arriving in the wake of the 2001 earthquake. Detailed AP Photo/John Locher
Bailey, who served as USCIS’ deputy chief of staff from 2017 to 2019 and now works as an attorney, faced budget and staff cuts under the Trump administration that put strain on an already strained system. and witnessed a decline in USCIS morale.
In fiscal year 2023, USCIS received 10.9 million applications for a variety of visas, green cards, and citizenship. We processed 10 million, many of which were from the backlog.
Immigration is a decisive issue in this election
With Election Day just two weeks away, Trump and Harris are trying to clarify their positions on immigration, which voters consistently rate as a top issue. Still, neither candidate has said much about how they would fix the legal immigration process.
Bailey sees Trump’s message as one wrapped in national security and economic protectionism, with USCIS as the vetting agency, while Harris’s message is one that sees immigrants as a U.S. government that benefits the economy. It is positioned as an important part of its identity.
President Trump has promised mass deportations, a more secure southwest border and an end to protection policies enacted by the current president. Harris’ main message on immigration revolves around reintroducing a bipartisan border bill, which she accused Trump of killing earlier this year.
Caroline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national spokeswoman, told Barron’s that the current problems with the system may be due to Harris’ policies.
“President Trump will work with Congress to restore effective immigration policy, implement a new crackdown that will shock every criminal smuggler in the world, and eliminate illegal criminals, drug dealers, and other criminals in American history. These are human traffickers,” she said.
Voters have shown strong support for mass deportations, as well as expanding and improving legal access to visas and citizenship.
“I think this is a very complex issue, so it’s very difficult to provide a meaningful conversation in audio about all the complexities,” Bailey said, adding that campaign messages like this He added that it is not possible to have detailed conversations about such complex systems.
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (left) visits the U.S.-Mexico border with U.S. Border Patrol Tucson District Director John Modlin (right) in Douglas, Arizona, September 27, 2024. . Kamala Harris, vice president of the United States and Democratic presidential candidate. (Left) Visiting the U.S.-Mexico border with U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Division Chief John Modlin (Right) on September 27, 2024 in Douglas, Arizona. Rebecca Noble/AFP via Getty Images
Harris’ promise to reintroduce a border bill that includes more Border Patrol agents, funding for technology and some long-awaited immigration reforms could be difficult to implement in a divided Congress. .
Cesar Cuauhtemoc García Hernández, an immigration scholar at Ohio State University, previously told Barron’s there is no reason to expect meaningful change no matter who wins the election.
“Congress had an opportunity to do that, and what we see time and time again is that elected officials see immigration policy as a great political rallying cry,” he said. That’s true.”
“And I think if we were to change our immigration laws so that people could actually come to the United States legally, we would lose the political value that we get from getting this issue out there.”
Hernandez noted that Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called the bill “dysfunctional on arrival” in February. Due to President Trump’s intervention, the bill ultimately failed to pass the House by a vote of 215-199.
U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at the U.S.-Mexico border south of Sierra Vista, Arizona, on August 22, 2024. U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks at the U.S.-Mexico border south of Sierra Vista, Arizona, on August 22, 2024. Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
Bailey said he would be surprised if the same bill was given new life within the next two years, but the bill’s more comprehensive approach to immigration is a sign that lawmakers will have to weigh in on the issue before and after Election Day. It needs to be reflected in how you speak, he added.
“We do need a strong national security force, we certainly need a humanitarian dimension, and we also need these different elements, but we just need to understand the big picture and get the balance right. is.
“I think a lot of people who work at DHS feel the same way. They see value in each of these types of emphasis, but it’s just about getting the balance right.”
Newsweek reached out to the Harris campaign for comment via email Monday afternoon.
