Homeland Security Analysis: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
USCIS Overview
Mission and Core Values
Responsibilities and Employees
Functions and Duties
How to Get a Job at USCIS
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Today, such processes as globalization, immigration, and the establishment of international relationships prove the progress of society in different spheres. However, as soon as one country opens its doors to other citizens, several threats and concerns appear. In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was founded in 2002 to enhance security, prevent terroristic attaches, enforce immigration laws, and protect Americans. Each year, new programs are created to promote sustaining capabilities to protect and respond to national and international threats (“DHS announces funding opportunity,” 2021).

To support the implementation of policies and laws, the DHS has a list of components. They include the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and others. Each agency has specific goals and directions to manage homeland security. This paper aims at analyzing USCIS’s mission, duties, responsibilities, functions, and employees and defining how people may get jobs in this agency.

USCIS Overview

Terror awareness is one of the initial steps in protecting U.S. citizens against outside hazards. People are constantly encouraged to stay vigilant and recognize the first signs of terror, explaining homeland security as a shared responsibility (Arfsten, 2019). Protection means improvements and effective policies at all government levels, which makes the DHS an integral administrative body. Before 2002, the Immigration and Naturalization Service was one of the main DHS agencies to deal with immigration and security affairs.

However, after the September 11 attacks, the Homeland Security Act was signed and divided this agency into several sections, with one of them being called U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Relying on more than a 100-year-legacy, USCIS continues contributing to the development of immigration service functions and security enhancement (“Our history,” 2020). The mission and duties of this agency are closely related to the September 11 events not to face similar losses and threats in the future.

Mission and Core Values

The success of organizational performance may be predetermined by a variety of factors like an understanding of missions, acceptance of core values, completion of duties, and cooperation of employees. A mission statement is usually introduced as a simple sentence or a brief paragraph that a company uses to explain its purposes within the chosen context. The role of USCIS is closely related to the DHS work. Its mission statement is to administer the immigration system, safeguard its integrity, and adjust immigrant requests while protecting the interests of Americans, homeland security, and values (“Mission and core values,” 2020). Immigration is a complex process when the movement of people from one country to another is explained for different reasons and leads to various outcomes.

As a government agency, USCIS has to control and check its lawfulness concerning the established core values. In USCIS, four major values should be recognized and understood by every employee. For example, integrity means that the public, employees, and U.S. citizens are treated honestly, and all decisions are based on facts and the law (“Mission and core values,” 2020). To work effectively, USCIS must enhance trust among the American people and show the correctness of the immigration system. According to Acer and Byrne (2017), the agency needs to invest in timely decision-making to advance its integrity and protect refugees’ lives.

Respect is another core value that demonstrates dignity and courtesy in human relationships (“Mission and core values,” 2020). Cooperation and cooperation in different work units are respectively divided (Lee et al., 2019). Innovation cannot be ignored because it is a good way to define and overcome challenges by addressing the agency’s resourcefulness, creativity, and efficient management. Finally, an increase in global threats and terroristic attacks underlines the importance of vigilance as an obligation to strengthen the nation’s security and define the priorities of society.

Responsibilities and Employees

USCIS demonstrates evident progress in managing immigration services and controlling people’s actions. At this moment, more than 19,000 government employees work with about 200 USCIS officers across the globe (“Mission and core values,” 2020).

The organization undergoes several changes, and reorganization helps segregate responsibilities and positively affects the perceptions of employees (Lee et al., 2019). Such tasks as information sharing and communication are necessary to react to uncertainty and promote organizational innovation (Lee et al., 2019). Leadership and empowerment are also important components of the agency’s productivity and improvement. Authority delegation, performance analysis, and observations are necessary to establish a performance-oriented culture. All these responsibilities of employees are properly integrated into USCIS, making it a strong federal organization that is funded by users’ fees.

Functions and Duties

USCIS functions and duties may be divided into several sections. On the one hand, the employees have to work directly with immigrants and their families to define their rights, behavioral norms, and opportunities. USCIS processes immigrant petitions with the intention of individuals becoming legal U.S. citizens. In addition, as soon as a person from another country acquires citizenship in the United States, other family members can come, live, and work. Such duties as management of working opportunities (Green Cards) and employment eligibility allow immigrants to obtain legal freedoms in the United States.

On the other hand, respect for immigrant rights should influence Americans and their rights as native citizens. Homeland security and equality are not easy to promote, but USCIS follows the standards and introduces tasks. Finally, the agency operates as a high-performance organization to create a dynamic work culture, meaning that its function is to support employees and professional development.

How to Get a Job at USCIS

Many people want to find a job at USCIS, and the reasons for this choice are the agency’s credibility, permanence, and humanitarian support. In most cases, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or law enforcement is enough to apply for USCIS positions.

Individuals who want to know more about the existing career opportunities can visit the official website, read current announcements, and learn “A Day in the Life of USCIS” (2021). If the conditions offered by the agency meet the expectations of potential job searchers, it is high time to apply for a position by creating an account, following the list of recommendations, submitting documents, and monitoring status. USCIS offers a nine-week training program to obtain the required experience and information about the organization, its missions, and the main tasks. If USCIS managers define an employee as eligible, full employment is offered.

Conclusion

To sum up, DHS agencies perform many important functions to protect native citizens and offer immigrants enough opportunities to improve their lives. USCIS is one of the departments in the homeland security system that controls immigrant services and enhances the safety and honest treatment of all people in the country. Following its mission statement and core values, employees understand what they should do to support the population. Potential employees should have the necessary education degree and pass all the stages in the application process. USCIS does its best to hire qualified employees and complete all its duties, responsibilities, and functions.

References

A day in the life of USCIS. (2021). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Web.

Acer, E., & Byrne, O. (2017). How the illegal immigration reform and immigrant responsibility act of 1996 has undermined US refugee protection obligations and wasted government resources. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 5(2), 356-378.

Arfsten, K. S. (2019). Before, now, and after the event of terror: Situational terror awareness for civilians in US homeland security. European Journal for Security Research, 5, 223-258. Web.

DHS announces funding opportunity for $1.87 billion in preparedness grants. (2021). Homeland Security. Web.

Lee, S.-Y., Yun, T., Whitford, A. B., & Lim, J. Y. (2019). The reorganization of the US citizenship and immigration services (USCIS) and its effects. Public Organization Review. Web.

Mission and core values. (2020). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Web.

Our history. (2020). U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Web.

Click Here To Order Now!