The United States Secretary of Homeland Security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security,the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the attacks of September 11,2001.
The H-1B is a foreign worker visa in the United States that allows U.S. employers to hire foreign workers in so-called specialty occupations. The regulation and implementation of the visa program is carried out by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services within the United States Department of Homeland Security.
Parole,in the immigration laws of the United States,generally refers to official permission to enter and remain temporarily in the United States,under the supervision of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS),without formal admission,and while remaining an applicant for admission.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that administers the country's naturalization and immigration system. It is a successor to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS),which was dissolved by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and replaced by three components within the DHS:USCIS,Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
An H-4 visa is a United States visa issued to dependent family members of H-1B,H-1B1,H-2A,H-2B,and H-3 visa holders to allow them to travel to the United States to accompany or reunite with the principal visa holder. A dependent family member is a spouse or unmarried child under the age of 21. If a dependent of an H-1B,H-1B1,H-2A,H-2B,or H-3 worker is already in the United States,they can apply for H-4 immigration status by filing Form I-539 for change of status with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Kenneth Thomas "Cooch”Cuccinelli II is an American lawyer and politician who served as the senior official performing the duties of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party,he also served as the Principal Deputy and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and was Attorney General of Virginia from 2010 to 2014.
Temporary protected status (TPS) is given by the United States government to eligible nationals of designated countries,as determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security,who are present in the United States. In general,the Secretary of Homeland Security may grant temporary protected status to people already present in the United States who are nationals of a country experiencing ongoing armed conflict,an environmental disaster,or any temporary or extraordinary conditions that would prevent the foreign national from returning safely and assimilating into their duty. Temporary protected status allows beneficiaries to live and,in some cases,work in the United States for a limited amount of time. As of March 2022,there are more than 400,000 foreign nationals in Temporary Protected Status.
The Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 is a United States federal statute establishing the procedure for filling vacancies in an appointed office of an executive agency of the government before the appointment of a permanent replacement.
The Task Force on New Americans is an interagency initiative to help immigrants learn English,embrace the common core of American civic culture,and fully become American. It was created in June 2006 by President George W. Bush. Established within the Department of Homeland Security,Secretary Michael Chertoff serves as Chair of the Task Force. Membership includes representatives from 12 Cabinet-level departments and a technical working committee of eight additional federal agencies. Alfonso Aguilar,Chief of the Office of Citizenship at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS),serves as Chair of the Task Force's technical committee. The Task Force has worked to develop interagency initiatives to help immigrants settle in their new country and maximize the use of federal resources in promoting integration. By providing technical resources to communities and organizations,encouraging volunteerism,developing effective training methods,conducting targeted research efforts,and providing recommendations to the President,the Task Force has sought to encourage successful immigrant assimilation in a comprehensive manner. In December 2022 the Biden Administration announced it would relaunch the White House Task Force on New Americans.
Alejandro Nicolas Mayorkas is an American attorney and government official who was the 7th United States secretary of homeland security,serving from 2021 until 2025. A member of the Democratic Party,Mayorkas previously served as the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2009 to 2013,and the 6th deputy secretary of homeland security from 2013 to 2016.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a United States immigration policy that allows some individuals who,on June 15,2012,were physically present in the United States with no lawful immigration status after having entered the country as children at least five years earlier,to receive a renewable two-year period of deferred action from deportation and to be eligible for an employment authorization document.
The U visa is a United States nonimmigrant visa which is set aside for victims of crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse while in the U.S. and who are willing to assist law enforcement and government officials in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity. It permits such victims to enter or remain in the US when they might not otherwise be able to do so. An advantage that comes along with the acceptance of a U-visa is the individual will have deportation protection which is important when they are collaborating with law enforcement.
The American Civics Test is an oral examination that is administered to immigrants who are applying for U.S. citizenship. The test is designed to assess the applicants' knowledge of U.S. history and government. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) administers the test as part of the naturalization process.
Lee Francis Cissna is an American lawyer and government official who served as Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services from 2017 to 2019. Prior to assuming that role,he was the Director of Immigration Policy in the Office of Policy of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP) is a policy within United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that aims to prevent selected individuals from obtaining citizenship or immigration benefits. The acronym is a hidden derogatory reference to the 'carp' fish,an invasive species. The name appears to have been covertly chosen to equate the fish to the immigrant communities which the program targeted. The policy was created in 2008 and mainly targets immigrants from Arab,Middle Eastern,Muslim and South Asian communities,with the top 5 countries being Pakistan,Iraq,India,Iran and Yemen. By law,immigration applications must be adjudicated within 180 days,but the program introduces a loop of indefinite delays by citing national security or public safety concerns. Applications for naturalization,lawful permanent residency,and asylum are the most common selections for CARRP processing.
Beginning in 2019,multiple appointments of acting officials in the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) were questioned,on the basis of whether the appointments were legal under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 and the Homeland Security Act of 2002. After the departure of Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in April 2019,the Trump administration did not formally nominate a new secretary to be confirmed by the Senate,relying on acting postings.
The immigration policy Joe Biden initially focused on reversing many of the immigration policies of the previous Trump administration,before implementing stricter enforcement mechanisms later in his term.
The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 was a legislative bill that was proposed by President Joe Biden on his first day in office. It was formally introduced in the House by Representative Linda Sánchez. It died with the ending of the 117th Congress.
Jonathan Eugene Meyer is an American lawyer and government official who served as the sixth general counsel of the United States Department of Homeland Security from 2021-24.
