USCIS launches vetting center to recheck approvals
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said last week the agency created a vetting center to conduct interviews and re-review already approved immigration applications, expanding post–Nov. 26 measures that paused adjudications for nationals of 19 countries and halted many asylum decisions. The White House also said it will re-review all Biden-era refugee approvals, while at least 1,300 staff accepted a 'Fork in the Road' resignation offer as the agency shifts toward enforcement.
📌 Key Facts
- USCIS announced a new vetting center last week to re-review prior approvals (Edlow statement).
- Adjudications for nationals of 19 countries are paused; USCIS has also halted many asylum decisions.
- At least 1,300 employees took the federal 'Fork in the Road' resignation offer amid agency restructuring.
📊 Relevant Data
Between July 2023 and July 2024, the U.S. Hispanic population grew by 1.7%, the Asian population by 2.3%, the Black population by 1%, the American Indian and Alaska Native population by 0.4%, while the White population declined by 0.4%.
Growing diverse and immigrant populations drove the nation’s post-pandemic demographic rebound, new Census data show — Brookings Institution
By 2019, US-born men were being incarcerated at rates around 3,000 per 100,000, while immigrant rates stayed below 1,500 per 100,000.
The immigration–crime link — American Economic Association
Among federally sentenced non-U.S. citizens, 65.9% were from Mexico, 8.7% from Honduras, 5.8% from Guatemala, 4.0% from the Dominican Republic, 3.0% from El Salvador, and 12.6% originated from other countries.
Federally Sentenced Non-U.S. Citizens — United States Sentencing Commission
In January 2025, the immigrant population in the United States topped out at 53.3 million.
How immigration levels in the U.S. changed since President Trump's election — CalMatters