Biden Admin Expands Paths to Muslim Refugees with USCIS Announcement...

by Wendi Strauch Mahoney at UNCover DC

The Biden administration officially takes its immigration services to the root of Muslim migration with the expansion of international field offices. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Apr. 23 that it is opening new international field offices in Doha, Qatar, and Ankara, Turkey, to “increase capacity for refugee processing, strengthen strategic partnerships, and facilitate interagency cooperation.” USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou stated:

“Opening these field offices establishes a USCIS presence and expertise in critical locations in the Middle East and is part of our commitment to the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to facilitate safe, lawful, and orderly migration and family reunification. Our presence in Qatar and Turkey expands USCIS’ footprint outside the United States, supports our humanitarian mission, and strengthens the integrity of the U.S. immigration system.”

The USCIS announcement should come as no surprise to those closely following this administration’s open-border immigration policy. In September, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced plans to meet the ceiling of 125,000 refugee admissions for FY 2024, including exponentially increasing resettlement efforts for migrants from Latin America and the Caribbean.

New offices and personnel in Qatar and Turkey will support previously established international U.S. Refugee Admissions Programs. The expansion will beef up infrastructure and help to increase USCIS “refugee processing circuit rides.” Circuit rides are asylum interview locations. With the “opening of the Doha Field Office on May 7, 2024, and the Ankara Field Office on May 9, 2024, USCIS will have 11 international field offices. Other international field offices include Beijing; Guangzhou, China; Guatemala City; Havana; Mexico City; Nairobi, Kenya; New Delhi; San Salvador, El Salvador; and Tegucigalpa, Honduras.”

Qatar and Turkey are predominantly Muslim nations whose mores and customs vastly differ from those in Western cultures. In many cases, promoting migration from countries like these will likely impact national security because of sparse documentation. In addition, fluid assimilation with U.S. culture in these migrant populations can be enormously challenging for migrants and the communities in which they settle.

Typically, immigrants coming to the U.S. are expected to assimilate, embrace, and adapt to the prevailing American culture and mores. However, it is becoming increasingly common for some immigrants to acculturate rather than assimilate in some countries. “No-go zones” are more common in large cities in European countries like Paris and London because of the propensity to acculturate, especially in Muslim populations.

The number of Muslims in the U.S. continues to grow but…