1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

FORCING LAWFUL IMMIGRANTS OUT OF THE COUNTRY IS UNJUST As your constituent, I urge you to publicly oppose USCIS’s new policy treating adjustment of status as “extraordinary” relief and requiring many lawful immigrants here to leave the United States and apply for lawful permanent residence from abroad. This reversal could affect hundreds of thousands each year and create delay, fear, and family separation without Congressional approval. CONGRESS MUST INVESTIGATE WHO WILL BE FORCED OUT AND WHY For decades, people legally present here, including spouses of U.S. citizens, students, workers, refugees, and asylum seekers, have been able to seek lawful permanent residence without leaving the United States. About 600,000 people here apply for lawful permanent residence each year. USCIS has not said when the change begins, whether people must remain abroad, or whether pending applications are protected. USCIS CANNOT BYPASS CONGRESS BY RECASTING SETTLED PRACTICE AS A LOOPHOLE USCIS says the change returns immigration law to its “original intent” and prevents temporary visits from leading to green cards. But adjustment of status exists because Congress chose to let eligible people complete permanent residence here rather than leave to seek a return visa. If the administration wants to narrow that pathway, it should ask Congress. LAWFUL IMMIGRANTS COULD BE LOCKED OUT OF THE UNITED STATES The policy leaves decisions to USCIS officers under a vague “extraordinary circumstances” standard. That invites inconsistent treatment and gives families no reliable way to plan. Once applicants leave the United States, consular delays, closed posts, travel restrictions, unsafe conditions, job loss, or denials with limited review could separate them from their families for months or years. CONGRESS MUST HOLD IMMEDIATE PUBLIC OVERSIGHT HEARINGS Congress should hold hearings immediately. The public deserves to know the legal basis for this change, the number of affected families, whether pending in-country permanent-residence applications will be denied under the new standard, how long consular processing will take, and what protections exist for spouses, children, workers, and students. LEGAL IMMIGRATION RULES MUST NOT CHANGE BY EXECUTIVE DECREE A fair system must be lawful, humane, and predictable. It should not force eligible people lawfully living here to leave and risk being unable to return based on a vague claim that forced departure is normal procedure. I respectfully urge you to: (1) Publicly oppose this policy and call for its immediate suspension. (2) Hold oversight hearings on its legality, implementation, and consequences. (3) Enact legislation preserving adjustment of status for eligible applicants already in the United States. (4) Require DHS and USCIS to publish data on affected applicants, pending cases, delays, consular barriers, and family separations. (5) Prohibit the executive branch from narrowing lawful immigration pathways without Congressional approval. Thank you.