Angelo A. Paparelli, partner at Seyfarth Shaw and publisher of the Nation of Immigrants Blog, reviews the latest annual report from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman and finds it too temperate. Paparelli says, "With altogether too much toleration and not enough outrage for my taste, the Ombudsman's report restates longstanding USCIS problems but does not condemn the lack of significant forward movement." He also believes that the existence of the USCIS Ombuds Office has allowed Congress to shrug off its oversight responsibility.
Paparelli also argues that the USCIS Ombudsman's authority should be expanded to cover Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol. He says that "if the Obama Administration and Congress are serious about the proper functioning of the federal immigration system, they would also create Offices of the Ombudsman for the Departments of Labor and State, and place a 'Tri-Department' Ombudsman on top, so that stakeholders really have a "seat at the table" for comprehensive immigration reform." (Angelo Paparelli on Dysfunctional Government; USCIS Ombuds 2009 Report.)
Related posts: Profile of New Immigration Ombuds; Leading Immigration Lawyer Urges Obama to Retain USCIS Ombuds; How to Become the Next Immigration Ombuds.
Dear Mr. Kosakowski:
ReplyDeleteI'm flattered that you've written about my blog posting concerning the USCIS Ombudsman's 2009 Annual Report. I don't mean to seem ungrateful, but I also know how offering a precis of a longer post can sometimes give the wrong impression. Let me say loud and clear: "I am a very enthusiastic supporter of the USCIS Ombudsman's office." Particularly as time has passed, we have seen that office adopt an increasingly proactive and much appreciated agenda. The USCIS Ombudsman has not only identified problems, involved stakeholders in identifying solutions, but moved the ball well down the field with agency officials in the implementation of solutions. This is an admirable feat considering how dysfunctional America's immigration system has been and (sadly) still remains. Please understand I'm a supporter of the Ombudsman. As my post noted, Congress should clone the post and appoint counterparts in State and Labor.
Angelo Paparelli