LatinaLista — When Trump was proclaimed the winner of the 2016 presidential election, it didn’t just send shock waves throughout the nation. It chilled most to the bone because they had seen the kind of people he stocked his campaign with, (the same who are now under indictment/investigation by Mueller), and knew their intent of dismantling the government, disavowing scientific facts and their misplaced sense of white superiority.
Week by week, since the inauguration, the Trump administration has attacked the elements of our international standing that many felt strengthened our nation and made it a 21st Century leader. Systematically, this administration has done everything to weaken our international stature, roll back the gains for civil and environmental rights and plunge us deeper into debt, awarding money to the wealthiest while cutting much needed social service programs.
However, even with all the attacks waged by this administration on our nation’s immigration system, it was (naively) believed that some things would remain sacred. Namely, our pride in being a nation of immigrants.
This administration never ceases to appall us.
As of today, the statement that is universally recognized as being synonymous with the United States — “a nation of immigrants” — has been removed from the one government agency whose mission is immigration.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) created a new Mission Statement, without the iconic phrase.
The USCIS’ Chief of Media Relations, JOhn Withington, told the online news site Intercept, that the mission statement is “effective immediately.”
Asked if USCIS had changed its view on whether the U.S. is a nation of immigrants, Withington wrote, “The statement speaks for itself and clearly defines the agency’s role in our country’s lawful immigration system and commitment we have to the American people.”
Old USCIS Mission Statement
USCIS secures America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.
New USCIS Mission Statement
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.
