Marriage Fraud under the Microscope

Trump tightens rules on marriage-based green cards

President Donald Trump is slamming the brakes on what used to be a fast track to green cards through marriage.

Under the Trump administration, federal agencies like U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are cracking down hard on marriage-based green card applications with tougher scrutiny, new residency rules, and a broader push to reevaluate existing statuses while axing programs like the diversity visa lottery, as Breitbart reports.

For hardworking American taxpayers, this shift is a double-edged sword—potentially saving millions in public resources by curbing fraudulent claims.

Historically, tying the knot with a U.S. citizen was a solid bet for migrants seeking legal status, though never a sure thing.

Now, USCIS is looking at these unions with a magnifying glass, determined to root out temporary arrangements made for cash or convenience.

President Trump’s team has made it crystal clear: if the marriage isn’t real, the application gets the boot, no exceptions.

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USCIS halts all Asylum decisions

Trump Admin Halts All Asylum Decisions, Pauses Afghan Visas

"The announcements are part of a wave of immigration-related orders from the administration after two National Guard members were shot near the White House.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it halted all asylum decisions, “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow wrote in an X post. “The safety of the American people always comes first.”

On the same day, the U.S. Department of State said on X that it “has IMMEDIATELY paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports,” adding that it “is taking all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public safety.”

The USCIS announced the pause after it stopped processing all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals following the shooting of two National Guard members, one killed and the other injured, on Nov. 26 near the White House.

For an immigrant to be eligible for asylum, the applicant must “have a fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or their inclusion in a particular social group,” according to the Refugee Council USA.

Friday night’s announcements are part of a wave of immigration-related orders from the Trump administration." [The Epoch Times]

Initiatives to Strengthen Immigration Integrity

U.S. immigration chief critiques past administration's policies

Joe Edlow, reinstated as the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under the Trump administration, has embarked on tackling significant immigration challenges left by the previous administration, the Daily Caller reported.

The focus of Edlow's tenure has been addressing a massive asylum case backlog and enhancing fraud prevention measures, which, he claims, were neglected during the Biden administration.

Originally serving as chief counsel and later as deputy director during Trump's first term, Edlow's return to USCIS comes at a crucial time. The agency faced a backlog surge, jumping from 450,000 pending asylum cases at the end of 2020 to over 1.5 million by 2024. Spotlight on Asylum Challenges and Mismanagement.

During the transition between administrations, asylum claims significantly increased. Records show that affirmative asylum backlogs escalated sharply from 311,000 cases in 2018 to more than a million by 2024.

Under his leadership, USCIS has begun implementing new strategies to combat fraud and ensure the integrity of immigration processes. These changes include scrutinizing the Special Immigrant Juvenile program and addressing election-related fraud.

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Improved Citizenship Test to be implemented

Tougher Citizenship Test From 1st Trump Admin to Be Restored

President Donald Trump's administration is moving to reinstate a more rigorous version of the U.S. citizenship test, with officials stating that the current version is too easy and fails to reflect the significance of American naturalization adequately, The Hill reported.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is preparing to roll out changes to the naturalization test, a shift that will restore tougher requirements introduced during President Trump's first term.

Newly appointed USCIS Director Joseph Edlow described the existing exam as insufficiently challenging and in need of reform.

Currently, the test includes an English proficiency evaluation and a civics portion. Applicants must answer six of 10 randomly selected questions correctly from a collection of 100.

Edlow indicated that the administration plans to revert to the 2020 version of the test, which increased the question bank to 128 and raised the number of correct answers required to 12 out of 20. In addition, the updated format would include a new speaking component designed to assess English fluency through visual prompts.

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