1/ I keep thinking about this quote from frm USCIS Dir Rodriguez in a WaPo story several weeks ago about the effects of furloughs on the agency:

“It’ll take a lot of work to crank it down and a lot of work to crank it back up again and recover from the lost productivity..."

2/ He also said: "Citizenship and Immigration Services is “a huge machine” that will suffer systemic damage from the suspension of so many employees." https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/immigration-agency-bailout-furlough/2020/06/30/93ee2a3a-ba45-11ea-86d5-3b9b3863273b_story.html

3/ While most of the coverage I've seen has talked about processing delays resulting from the furloughs, I think it's helpful to understand what that really means.

It's not a "one-to-one" situation of furloughs lasting X weeks, and the corresponding delays increasing the same.

4/ USCIS is built according to processes and work flows, with the emphasis on efficiency (try to contain laughter and suppress eye rolls). Because of this, a relatively small number of employees are able to process a huge, and complex, workload.

5/ But, with this focus, a single form often goes through many steps with no one person in charge of it for very long. A single problem in the process can throw everything off, and when it does, it's often difficult to come up with a quick and easy solution.

6/ Look at the effect of the pandemic on the agency's operations. Processing times are up even for forms that don't require interviews, while filings are down. It's taken four months for ASCs to reopen.

The point being is that it's hard for USCIS to make big changes quickly.

7/ If furloughs happen, you'll have officers/analysts doing tasks they have no experience in (and minimal training). You won't have support roles that free up adjudicative time, so complex cases may be delayed indefinitely. Will expedites even be processed for emergencies?

8/ It's hard for the public to appreciate how bad this could get for applicants (Dir Rodriguez knows). Part of that is our immigration system is extremely complex and USCIS is basically unknown, but the agency can also do better in explaining what we do, and how we do it.

9/ Even if a furlough is only two weeks, the resulting delays will be much, much longer than two weeks. These delays should concern EVERYONE. These are legal benefits that people are paying A LOT of money for, and even a small delay can have devastating consequences for people.

10/ So while I'm concerned for my job and my co-workers, please understand even a short furlough will cause dramatic and long-term damage to this country's legal immigration system and the people who depend on it.