The new USCIS mission statement, issued on February 22, 2018, by Director L. Francis Cissna, no longer emphasizes customer satisfaction, i.e., the satisfaction of petitioners and beneficiaries. Instead, it focuses on serving the American people and making sure that benefits are not provided to those who do not qualify or those who “would do us harm. . . .”

The former Director of the USCIS, Leon Rodriguez, and others have pointed out that the new mission statement eliminates the mention of a “nation of immigrants,” a phrase famously used by then Senator John F. Kennedy as the title of his 1958 book on American immigration. The new mission statement states:

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.

The old mission statement included:

USCIS secures America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.

The new mission statement mirrors the Trump Administration’s focus on enforcement, strict scrutiny and extreme vetting.