DHS Seeks Approval for 200 Special Agents to Tackle Immigration Fraud at USCIS

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking congressional approval to add 200 special agents within the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

They intend to investigate immigration fraud, a proposal outlined by USCIS Director Joseph Edlow during a House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on Homeland Security. Edlow said the plan would create a specialised investigative branch inside USCIS, separate from existing enforcement bodies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

He said immigration fraud has long been identified within the system but has rarely led to prosecutions, and that a dedicated unit would provide a focused mechanism to pursue cases of immigration and entitlement fraud linked to USCIS processes.

Lawmakers, including Representative Henry Cuellar of Texas, questioned why existing agencies could not take on the work. Edlow responded that the scale and persistence of fraud required a dedicated team within USCIS. 

He also said the agency would establish multiple tip lines to encourage public reporting of suspected fraud, with all cases reviewed in coordination with ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The proposal comes amid increased scrutiny of asylum and naturalisation decisions. 

Edlow criticised the speed of case processing during the Biden administration, saying that national security considerations had not been sufficiently prioritised. He said USCIS is now reviewing asylum cases and green cards issued during that period, focusing in particular on applicants from 19 countries identified as being of concern, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela.

If approved, the new agents would receive standard criminal investigator training, along with a nine-week programme tailored to USCIS’s specific responsibilities.

Edlow said the agency’s core responsibility is to protect the public and that strengthening its investigative capacity reflects that mandate.