DHS Suspends Key Immigration Oversight Office, Leaving Immigrants in Limbo

Suspension of USCIS Ombudsman Sparks Fear of Reduced Accountability for Visa Holders, Students

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security has suspended operations of the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, placing its staff on a 60-day administrative leave and effectively halting a critical resource that has aided thousands of immigrants with visa and green card issues. The move, enacted March 21, has sparked outrage among advocates who fear it signals a broader rollback of oversight in the U.S. immigration system.

The suspension also affects two other DHS oversight bodies: the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. While DHS frames the decision as part of an effort to streamline operations and prioritize border security and enforcement, critics argue it leaves immigrants—particularly H-1B visa holders, F-1 international students, and green card applicants—without a vital lifeline for resolving bureaucratic delays and errors.

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