The new center announced by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will be based in Atlanta.
The Trump administration announced plans to launch a new immigration vetting center in Georgia, according to a statement on Dec. 5 by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The Atlanta-based center will be used to “screen out terrorists, criminal aliens, and other foreign nationals who pose potential threats to public safety or who have committed fraud or other crimes,” per Friday’s announcement.
“USCIS’ role in the nation’s immigration system has never been more critical,” USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow said.
“In the wake of several recent incidents of violence, including a foreign national attacking National Guard service members on U.S. soil, establishing this vetting center will give us more enhanced capabilities to safeguard national security and ensure public safety.”
USCIS did not reveal when the facility would be fully operational.
The federal agency has issued a handful of immigration-related orders since two National Guard members were shot near the White House on Nov. 26 as they were performing “high visibility patrols.”
The suspected gunman was Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who worked with the CIA during the war in Afghanistan.
Lakanwal was charged with shooting Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24. Beckstrom died in the hospital from her wounds. Wolfe remains in serious but stable condition and is said to be recovering.
On Friday, Edlow criticized the Biden administration for welcoming a record 100,034 refugees into America through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program from Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024, according to numbers in an annual report by U.S. Refugee Admissions.
“Under the Biden administration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services was pushed to expedite the immigration and naturalization processes with little regard for how that affected national security and the safety of our communities,” Edlow said.
“We changed that approach on day one of the Trump administration. Under President [Donald] Trump, we are building more protective measures that ensure fraud, deception, and threats do not breach the integrity of our immigration system.”
In just over one week, the USCIS halted all asylum decisions, paused visa issuance for Afghan nationals, announced plans to launch a full-scale reexamination of every Green Card holder who came from a “country of concern,” and reduced the period of time that aliens can have work permits in the United States before they have to be screened again.
The federal agency’s policy change to work permits, which came into effect on Friday, requires non-citizens working in the United States to be screened and vetted every 18 months as opposed to every five years, according to a Dec. 4 statement by USCIS.
By Jacki Thrapp
