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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Tuesday that it narrowly avoided furloughing 13,000 employees — 70 percent of its workforce. In a message obtained by CBS News, Deputy USCIS Director for Policy Joseph Edlow said USCIS was able to avoid the furlough because its financial situation “improved somewhat.” Edlow said the agency is still projecting a budget shortfall into fiscal year 2021 and will continue to require financial assistance. “Although our situation has temporarily improved due to a modest increase in revenues, Congress must act on a long-term fix that will provide the necessary financial assistance to sustain the agency,” he told employees in an email. CBS News
In other federal immigration news…
2 Million Citizens Excluded from Covid-19 Relief Because of Marriages to Immigrants
Two million U.S. citizens are not receiving coronavirus pandemic aid from the federal government purely because of the immigration status of their spouses. Clara Discua is a U.S. citizen and a medical assistant in Coral Springs, Floria. Her husband Roberto is a construction subcontractor from Honduras. But because he doesn’t have a Social Security number, Clare is not eligible for the $1,200 stimulus check. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said he wants to change the rule so spouses of immigrants are eligible to receive Covid-19 checks. NPR
DHS to Resume DACA Applications
The Department of Homeland Security said it will resume renewals of Deferred Access for Childhood Arrival statuses, the Obama-era program that provides a path for undocumented people who have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives to remain here legally. DHS initiated a pause on applications on July 28, which lasted a month and delayed at least 20,000 renewal applications. “The acting secretary expressed serious concerns with the DACA policy and made certain immediate changes to limit the policy’s scope while DHS conducts a full and careful review of the policy,” said Joe Edlow, deputy director of USCIS. The resumption comes after the Trump administration failed in its attempt to end the program altogether. The Wall Street Journal
