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President Biden’s choice to head United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Ur Jaddou, made it clear that addressing visa backlogs would be a top priority during her nomination hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee this Wednesday.
Since he took office in January, President Biden has prioritized improving the efficacy and efficiency of USCIS, and his nomination of Jaddou is right in line with that goal. Jaddou’s resume makes her an excellent choice to handle USCIS’s current issues, many of which are caused by bureaucratic inefficiency.
She previously served as majority chief counsel for the US House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, General Counsel for USCIS, and as director of DHS Watch, an advocacy group dedicated to upholding “an immigration system that is competently administered.”
Past USCIS Director, Leon Rodriguez, who worked with Jaddou during her time as USCIS general counsel, called her “the most substantively prepared nominee in the history of the agency” pointing to the fact that her role as general counsel meant “she was involved in every substantive area in which the agency was engaged”.
Jaddou’s nomination has also been endorsed by USCIS’ employee union. Daniel Spooner, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 119, which represents USCIS employees, said that Jaddou’s “knowledge and experience in immigration law will go far in healing the dysfunctional policies of the past few years and put in place policies that will secure the homeland while supporting a solid immigration program that benefits all involved”
Jaddou’s Priorities for USCIS
In Wednesday’s nomination hearing Jaddou addressed Senators’ questions on how she would run USCIS, which as EB-5 investors know all too well, has been performing less than optimally in the last several years.
When asked what her most immediate responsibilities would be if she was confirmed, Jaddou said she aims “to return the agency to firm solvency, resolve dramatically increasing processing times and backlogs, and utilize 21st-century tools”.
Jaddou went on to say that she would have “a running start” when it comes to addressing visa backlogs, pointing out that her own experience at USCIS gives her a better understanding of what USCIS policies and guidelines create processing delays.
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) praised Jaddou’s experience during Wednesday’s hearing, stating that her knowledge of the intricacies of USCIS functions are “second to none” and that she “is uniquely qualified to serve as USCIS director at this critical time”
What Would Jaddou’s Confirmation Mean for EB5?
Assuming expectations are correct and Jaddou’s confirmation is successful, it could mark a turning point for the EB-5 program and USCIS as a whole. First and foremost, it would bring stability to the agency, which has been without a senate confirmed director since 2019. More importantly, USCIS would be headed by someone who understands the agency’s purpose is to facilitate immigration, not restrict it.
While securing long term reauthorization is the most immediate goal for advocates of the EB-5 program, it’s important to recognize that good management of USCIS as a whole is also essential for the EB-5 program to continue. Critics often point to the backlogs and long processing times as evidence in favor of ending the EB-5 program, but the truth is that these problems are a symptom of inefficiencies in USCIS, not an unavoidable flaw of the EB-5 program.
The sooner USCIS addresses widespread problems with processing across all visa categories, the sooner more resources can be allocated to process EB-5 petitions and issue visas to approved EB-5 investors. Simply put, Jaddou has the experience necessary to make USCIS run efficiently, and as we can see from her statements during Wednesday’s hearing, her priorities are in line with what EB-5 investors have wanted for years; Putting an end to unreasonable processing times and visa backlogs.
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