America's immigration agency that issues visas & green cards is hiring armed officers

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is creating its own law-enforcement unit with the authority to carry weapons and make arrests, widening President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown beyond traditional enforcement agencies, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The agency said it will train several hundred federal law-enforcement agents to investigate fraud in immigration applications. These officers will be able to arrest immigrants accused of violations and also the lawyers who may have assisted in preparing petitions.

The move marks a major shift, as USCIS has historically been kept separate from enforcement agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), so applicants could submit personal information and attend interviews without fear of arrest. Critics say the change may discourage eligible immigrants from applying for visas, green cards, or citizenship.


Joe Edlow, the newly appointed director of USCIS, told the Journal that the force will focus on detecting fraud such as near-identical applications from the same country or applicants faking disabilities to bypass English proficiency exams. He added that denaturalization cases against new citizens who misrepresented information would also be a priority.

“I’m not expecting this to have a chilling effect on applications,” Edlow said. “I’m expecting this to have a chilling effect on fraudulent applications, and that’s what I want.”

USCIS already has a Fraud Detection and National Security unit, created during the Obama administration, which refers suspected cases to ICE. However, those officers cannot arrest or carry weapons. Edlow argued that the new force is necessary because ICE lacks the capacity to investigate every lead.

The plan is to begin with about 200 agents, who will be stationed at immigration offices across the country. The initiative is part of broader measures under the Trump administration to toughen scrutiny of immigrants, including neighborhood checks on applicants and consideration of whether an applicant holds what the agency calls “anti-American” views.

Doug Rand, a former USCIS official in the Biden administration, criticized the step, telling the Journal: “It’s totally unnecessary. It’s a solution in search of a problem.”

Even before this development, ICE had been making arrests at immigration interviews for citizenship, green cards, and asylum. The new force adds to expanded enforcement powers under Trump’s policies.