Content area
Full Text
On a recent afternoon, the head of the nation's legal immigration system opened himself to a cascade of complaints from more than 300 attorneys, immigrant advocates and others at a teleconference based at the Western regional headquarters of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in Laguna Niguel.
The visa process is arbitrary and inconsistent, he was repeatedly told. The forms are obtuse, the demands for evidence excessive. The agency exudes a "culture of no" biased against visa petitions.
Agency director Alejandro Mayorkas listened intently, with nary a twitch of annoyance.
"I have articulated within the agency that we should not shirk from criticism," he said. "We should just work very, very hard not to deserve it."
Eight months into the job, Mayorkas, 50, is drawing high marks from those who have long battled the immigration system. With 18,000 employees in 250 offices across the world, his agency oversees all immigration benefits, including petitions for citizenship and green cards; work, student and family visas; asylum; refugee status; and humanitarian relief.
Immigrant advocates particularly praise the Cuban immigrant and former U.S. attorney in Los Angeles for bringing greater openness and transparency to the agency with frequent community meetings. After the Haiti earthquake, for instance, the office coordinated dozens of meetings reaching 16,400 people to disseminate information on how Haitians in the United States could apply for permission to stay here until their homeland had stabilized.
Mayorkas also has invited the public, along with his staff, to weigh...