Overview
- The final rule empowers USCIS special agents to carry firearms, execute search and arrest warrants, investigate fraud, and present cases for prosecution.
- USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the agency plans to train several hundred federal special agents focused on detecting irregularities in applications.
- Officials frame the move as strengthening enforcement and national‑security partnerships, including with the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
- Critics warn the presence of armed personnel in interview settings could deter eligible applicants, with former officials calling the shift unnecessary and risky.
- The change marks a break from USCIS’s traditional benefits‑only role and comes alongside revived neighborhood checks and stricter policy guidance that weighs social‑media activity.