The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule that would give full law enforcement powers to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by classifying positions as GS-1811 criminal investigators—the same classification used for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI, and Secret Service agents, among others. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow states that USCIS has “always been an enforcement agency,” and that this expanded law enforcement authority will allow USCIS to handle investigations instead of referring matters to ICE-Homeland Security Investigations, order expedited removals, and investigate civil and criminal violations of the immigration laws. DHS notes that USCIS will recruit and train special agents who will exercise these additional law enforcement authorities.
