After issuing thousands of three-year work permits to illegal immigrants in violation of a federal judge's injunction, the Obama administration is now planning to go door-to-door to demand immigrants return their amnesty approvals.
The three-year permits were issued after Judge Andrew Hanen had placed a temporary halt on President Obama's executive amnesty program. Earlier in this month, Hanen ordered Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and four other top immigration officials to appear in his Brownsville, Texas court next month to explain why they should not be held in contempt of court for violating his injunction. The only way Hanen will cancel his request is if the government is able to limit or revoke the work permits by July 31, as HNGN previously reported.
That being the case, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that they will be visiting the homes of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) beneficiaries who received the illegal work permits and have not yet returned them.
"USCIS officials will soon begin to visit the listed address of certain individuals who have not yet returned an invalid three-year employment authorization document (EAD) for the purpose of retrieving these EADs," the agency explained in a statement, The Washington Times reported. "USCIS has already attempted, or is in the process of attempting, to notify all recipients by mail and phone that the three-year EADs are no longer valid and must be immediately returned."
USCIS added that it approved as many as 2,600 EADs, all of which are invalid.
"This action does not apply to the approximately 108,000 three-year EADs that were approved and mailed by USCIS on or before the February 16, 2015, injunction date and that have never been returned or reissued by USCIS," a USCIS fact sheet reads.
The agency said that officials will not be questioning immigrants at the addresses, but simply retrieving the three-year cards and reissuing the correct two-year cards.
USCIS, however, warned that those who do not return their three-year permits will have their DACA status terminated.
The National Immigration Law Center, an immigration advocacy group briefed on the matter by USCIS, stated that federal officials will start visiting homes in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Houston as early as Thursday.
With the current heated immigration situation as it is, immigrants may be alarmed to find federal officials knocking on their door, according to The Washington Times.
The National Immigration Law Center said in a statement that they are preparing to field calls from frightened immigrants.
"The USCIS home visits unfortunately will add to the mounting confusion and anxiety communities feel as they await a resolution in the executive action case, but individuals should know it is critical to comply with requests to exchange their work permits, whether they receive a letter or visit at their homes," Vanessa Esparza-Lopez, supervising attorney for the National Immigrant Justice Center's legal defense project, said in a statement.
