World Immigration News

(Deseret News)Opinion: The immigration memo that threatens 74 years of U.S. policy

Release Date
2026-05-30
Media
Deseret News
Summary
An immigration lawyer with more than 37 years of experience strongly criticizes a May 22 USCIS policy memo describing Adjustment of Status (AOS) as a matter of “administrative grace” and “extraordinary relief.” The author argues that AOS, established by Congress in 1952 and revised more than 20 times since then, was intentionally designed to allow lawfully present immigrants to apply for permanent residence from within the United States without leaving the country. According to the author, Congress created the system to promote family unity and serve the public interest, not as a discretionary privilege.

The article claims the new USCIS memo seeks to make AOS more difficult in practice by encouraging officers to question why applicants did not use consular processing abroad instead. The author argues this especially harms foreign-born spouses of U.S. citizens, who may face long family separations, financial hardship, and loss of work authorization if forced to leave the country during the green card process. The author warns that restricting legal immigration through administrative barriers resembles past exclusionary immigration policies and could damage the U.S. economy and social stability in the long term.
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United States of America

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