DHS scrambles to prepare to process millions of immigrants
Job seekers in the D.C. metroplex may want to add the Department of Homeland Security to their list of potential employers. The administration is looking to hire 1,000 DHS workers to help process millions of additional immigrants under Obama's recent executive actions when the agency begins accepting applications for amnesty in late February.
The agency plans to launch the first phase of the project on Feb. 20 by accepting roughly 290,000 applications under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Fox News reports. By May, they'll start working to process an estimated 3.7 million parents of U.S. citizens and legal residents.
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"I've been working in government for 15 years, and I know things don't get done on time," Palinkas said.
Supporters of the program, however, say that USCIS, which has been processing DACA applicants since 2012, is prepared for the influx of applicants. DHS officials say there has been a sweeping effort to prepare for the surge, which they've been anticipating for some time.
In the meantime, Congressional Republicans will this week be debating legislation that would essentially defund Obama's immigration action.
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