Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, led by Dick Durbin, Chris Coons, and Alex Padilla, requested on Apr. 22 that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigate actions taken by the Trump Administration regarding legal immigration processes.
The request comes after the Trump Administration halted most immigrant benefits processing for applicants from 39 countries, stopped visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, and ended most refugee and asylum procedures. The administration also threatened to conduct a "re-review" of individuals from those countries who had already been approved for any immigration benefit under the Biden Administration, including new U.S. citizens and refugees.
In their letter to the GAO Acting Comptroller General, the senators said: “We are deeply concerned that these changes—which have left immigrants, their families, and employers at a loss for how to obtain or maintain lawful status or presence—are an attempt to circumvent the statutory scheme for lawful immigration to the United States, rather than a legitimate exercise in improving the integrity of our immigration system.”
The senators further wrote: “Members of the public, including immigrants and their families, continue to lack clarity on what steps USCIS and the State Department are taking to resume their normal adjudicative missions.” They formally asked GAO to review both pauses in processing as well as re-reviews of previously approved applicants.
Regarding re-reviews of those approved for green cards or citizenship, they said: “We are concerned that these re-reviews are a pretext for targeting immigrants and naturalized U.S. citizens for unwarranted scrutiny and selective enforcement, rather than a legitimate exercise in reducing fraud or improving vetting in our immigration system that is based on articulable, specific indicia that merits re-review.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee plays an important role affecting constitutional protections and public safety nationwide through its legislative work and oversight duties according to its official website. It aims to uphold constitutional principles by reviewing legislation related to judicial matters while overseeing federal law enforcement agencies according to its official website. The committee is led by a chairperson who oversees meetings with members from both major political parties according to its official website.
Other signatories include Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Adam Schiff (D-CA). As part of its standing authority over judicial matters across federal law according to its official website, any action taken by this committee could influence civil rights protections nationwide.
