John,

We’re suing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the National Archives and Records Administration. Our plaintiffs are experiencing massive delays waiting for their U.S. citizenship applications to be processed—but the problem isn’t what you might expect.

USCIS stored our plaintiffs’ immigration files (A-files) in underground storage facilities operated by NARA. When these Federal Records Centers shut down in March 2020, they did not return to full capacity operations for two years. The agencies could have spent those two years planning for the retrieval of the A-files that USCIS needs to continue processing the citizenship applications.
 
But now, with the storage facilities fully operational, USCIS is simply telling people to keep waiting. The agencies have not prioritized the retrieval of the A-files and USCIS has not prioritized the scheduling of interviews for these applicants, even though the delays are no fault of their own. 

This is unacceptable. And that’s why we’re filing this lawsuit. 

USCIS must be proactive in retrieving and processing these applications. If the agency doesn’t act soon, our plaintiffs will be unable to vote in the U.S. midterm elections. Blocking would-be Americans from participating in the democratic process goes against USCIS’ very mission. 

Filing this lawsuit is just the first step toward reversing these egregious delays. Please consider donating if you’d like to fund this effort as the lawsuit proceeds.

We will keep you updated on what happens next. Thank you for your continued support.

​​​​​Sincerely,

Make a contribution

ImmigrationCouncil.org  | unsubscribe
1331 G St. NW Suite 200. Washington, D.C., xxxxxx