Siavash

As an Iranian PhD graduate, I fully support background checks. But the #USCISPause has left my work authorization pending for months, stopping me from working and contributing to research and innovation. This is not security, it’s lost potential. #LiftTheHold

So what does the new vetting that @USCISJoe said that @USCIS would be doing? The only difference between the vetting today and the vetting last week is that the USCIS can run existing fingerprints through another database at the FBI (which contains data generally duplicated in other extant databases). The USCIS routinely submits 60,000 fingerprint requests a day. The agency could literally re-fingerprint the entire pending case population in a matter of weeks. So why the months long delay delays? It’s not really about background checks; it’s about the unlawfully slowing legal immigration.

Under @POTUS & @SecMullinDHS, @USCIS is making sure only those who meet all requirements & pose no threat to national security are granted Green Cards & citizenship. These benefits are an honor & privilege, & we’re making sure they go only to those who truly qualify.

Three-quarters of Americans think international students are a “good thing” for the U.S., but views diverge widely based on political affiliation. Most Democrats and independents think its a positive, but only about half of Republicans surveyed agree in a @QuinnipiacPoll

1) Immigrants better assimilate today than they did in the past, and 2) in the early 20th century, immigrants also had many kids, and they were highly concentrated in certain areas. 3/4 of many northern and western cities was immigrants and their kids at various times.

AILA ED commends bicameral Democratic action echoing AILA’s call for protections for Iranian nationals in the US who are unable to return home and urges similar protections for people unable to return safely to other conflict-affected countries. READ more: bit.ly/4n0gcR5

@LeadingReport If legal immigrants are such a huge economic win, the #USCISPause makes no sense. Freezing the work permits of vetted pros from 39 countries sidelines the very people driving our growth and paying taxes. It’s pure economic self-sabotage. #LiftTheHold

Immigrants generate more income and taxes than the average person, per CATO Institute.

@RepNancyMace Exactly! Which is why the #USCISPause is so unfair. It’s indefinitely freezing work permits for LEGAL, vetted pros from 39 countries who did everything right. Don't punish the rule-followers who paid their fees and passed every check. #LiftTheHold

The Left says: "This country was built on immigrants." Yeah, LEGAL ones.

@RepJayapal Great win for due process! Now we need that same standard applied to the #USCISPause. Indefinitely freezing the legal paperwork of vetted pros from 39 countries is another way to sideline rule-followers without any timeline. Please help us expose this. #LiftTheHold

With his mass detention policy, Trump has violated due process rights. Today, a three-judge panel ruled that the Trump administration cannot hold immigrants indefinitely without a bond hearing. My full statement⬇️

@SenJackyRosen This rule change + the #USCISPause is a trap. Freezing processing for 39 countries while ending extensions forces vetted pros out of work. It’s a manufactured crisis for those playing by the rules. #LiftTheHold

In most cases, workers with legal work permits can only apply for renewals six months before they expire – but the government can take far longer than that. The Trump Admin issued a rule getting rid of automatic extensions of work permit renewals, meaning that folks who have done everything right and played by the rules could lose their ability to work legally while they wait for the government to issue their renewals. Businesses and our economy as a whole will suffer without these workers, making prices go UP. I’m headed to the Senate floor to force a vote and reverse this unfair rule now.

The state of legal immigration in the U.S.: Absolute chaos. -Employer-sponsored green card paths are tenuous. PERM is broken, with 15+ month adjudication times. NIW filings are surging, and I suspect EB-1A filings are too. -Family-based cases are facing more scrutiny. The country bans and adjudicative holds are taking their toll, and who is affected remains extremely confusing. -People with legitimate cases are paying filing fees while seeing little to no service rendered. Costs are rising for both practitioners and clients. -Immigration judges are being fired and replaced with inexperienced, politically favorable appointees. -The bright spots: litigation is working. O-1s are still moving. E-2s remain a viable path. But overall: legal immigration is becoming more expensive, more unpredictable, and more chaotic.

One perk of representing Iranians is that they rarely ask why the US government is doing something insane. They were primed for this chaos in a way most of us weren't.

The very same ones on an USCIS pause since December

Knock knock. Hi free world, If you want to know what #USCISpause means and how @USCIS tortures LEGAL immigrants by leaving them in limbo, please take the time to watch this 10-minute speech by @SenatorDurbin. No time? Watch from 5:47. youtu.be/GL6Pg0UdaS0?si…

Now, we learn that DHS is close to eliminating Duration of Status entries for student visa holders. More chaos to crush the legal immigration system.

@SenAlexPadilla We need to apply that same standard to the silent #USCISPause, which is effectively "detaining" the careers and lives of thousands of legal, vetted professionals in a bureaucratic freeze. Please help us shine a light on this unannounced hold on rule-followers. #LiftTheHold

📰NEWS: Another federal appeals court just ruled against Trump’s push to indefinitely detain immigrants without due process.

@ABICaction @SenMarkey Our care system is already at a breaking point, yet the #USCISPause is forcing essential care workers out of their jobs. We can’t protect the healthcare system while freezing the work permits of the very people who run it. Time to #LiftTheHold for those who followed the rules.

.@SenMarkey joined with seniors, care workers, faith leaders, CEOs of retirement communities, and more lawmakers at the Capitol Tuesday to deliver a direct message to Congress and the courts: the immigrant workers who sustain America's care system need to be protected #tps

@NedaSa_ @SenatorDurbin @JudiciaryDems @USCIS @SenGaryPeters @SecRubio @CatoInstitute @SenateGOP @SecMullinDHS @SenMullin @ChuckGrassley Indefinitely pausing the brightest minds from 39 countries is how you forfeit global leadership. Targeting researchers based on their birth certificates is a betrayal of everyone who chose to "do it the right way." No timeline, no criteria, just pure economic damage.#USCISPause

America became a global leader by attracting the best and brightest minds from around the world. Right now, this administration has indefinitely paused most immigration processing for high-skilled applicants from 39 countries. Only because of the country where they were born! Even worse, there is no clear timeline, no transparent criteria, and no accountability for when these holds will be lifted. The human cost is real. She is a medical researcher from Iran. Does she look like “the worst of the worst”? There are thousands like her residing inside America for years and being harmed right now. Listen to what @SenatorDurbin is saying at the Senate hearing.