“It reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency.”
By Catholics for Catholics
From now on, migrants wandering the United States and wishing for a green card must go back to their home country to apply, shutting down a major loophole that added to the growth of the illegal immigrant population in the country, according to a new federal rule.
According to Zach Kahler, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) spokesman, the move shows that the United States is “returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly,” he said in a statement Friday, according to a story by The Daily Wire. Before the new rule came into play, immigrants who were in the United States for temporary work, tourism, or school could stay in the country while applying for a green card.
The effect was that the illegal immigrant population grew since many stayed in the country after being denied permanent residency. Because they didn’t leave, federal authorities were forced to search for them for deportation, according to USCIS.
“This policy allows our immigration system to function as the law intended instead of incentivizing loopholes,” Kahler said. “When aliens apply from their home country, it reduces the need to find and remove those who decide to slip into the shadows and remain in the U.S. illegally after being denied residency.”
Kahler explains that when immigrants come to the United States under temporary terms, they shouldn’t use the visit as “the first step” in getting a green card.
“Following the law allows the majority of these cases to be handled by the State Department at U.S. consular offices abroad and frees up limited USCIS resources to focus on processing other cases that fall under its purview, including visas for victims of violent crime and human trafficking, naturalization applications, and other priorities,” Kahler said.
“The law was written this way for a reason, and despite the fact that it has been ignored for years, following it will help make our system fairer and more efficient,” he said.
Still, some immigrants will be exempt if there are “extraordinary circumstances” in their case, according to USCIS.
Around 500,000 immigrants overstayed their visa permissions as of September 2024, according to Homeland Security data.
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