The latest episode of the Parsing Immigration Policy podcast features the audio of a recent sit-down between Executive Director Mark Krikorian and Joseph Edlow, the newly confirmed Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In a wide-ranging discussion, Edlow laid out his priorities for the agency — from strengthening fraud detection to reforming visa programs and restoring integrity to the naturalization process.

On expanding investigative capacity, Edlow said:

"When you’re adjudicating a green card or a naturalization, that’s a law enforcement action...But this is not a police force. What we are looking at incorporating into USCIS is an investigative agency…to really do a deep dive into immigration fraud, national security issues, and other criminality within the agency’s jurisdiction."

Other highlights include:

H-1B visas: “If properly monitored and scrutinized for integrity, H-1B can be a useful tool. But my big concern is the way it keeps U.S. citizens out of the job market, especially recent STEM graduates.”

Vetting standards: “We want to know everything about these individuals… Anti-American activities at a certain level are not going to be tolerated.”

Naturalization: “Frankly, this test is just too easy. We need to make it more thought-provoking to ensure new citizens have a real attachment to the Constitution.”

Temporary Protected Status: “For the first time in a very long time we are not seeing pro-forma renewals...We are looking at all cases and the reasons for the designations, and making a determination based both on whether those conditions still apply … and looking at, again, the foreign policy considerations.”

Edlow also addressed:

• Decades of “profligate” work permit issuance to people whose status doesn’t include work authorization and the end of automatic Social Security number approvals.
• Parole and DACA, calling DACA a “real legal problem” likely requiring congressional resolution.
• Legislative priorities, including eliminating the Diversity Visa lottery and fixing visa allocations.
• Expanding Systematic Alien Verification Enterprise (SAVE) access for states to verify voter eligibility, which he called potentially “a gamechanger.”
• Renewed denaturalization efforts and stronger fraud detection across USCIS.

Host 

Mark Krikorian is the Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies.

Guest

Joseph Edlow is the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Related

Panel Press Release

Panel Video

C-Span Coverage

CIS Live Stream

Panel Transcript

Intro Montage

Voices in the opening montage:

• Sen. Barack Obama at a 2005 press conference.
• Sen. John McCain in a 2010 election ad.
• President Lyndon Johnson, upon signing the 1965 Immigration Act.
• Booker T. Washington, reading in 1908 from his 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech.
• Laraine Newman as a "Conehead" on SNL in 1977.
• Hillary Clinton in a 2003 radio interview.
• Cesar Chavez in a 1974 interview.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to reporters in 2019.
• Prof. George Borjas in a 2016 C-SPAN appearance.
• Sen. Jeff Sessions in 2008 comments on the Senate floor.
• Candidate Trump in 2015 campaign speech.
• Charlton Heston in "Planet of the Apes".