On October 7th (Tuesday), the partial shutdown of the United States federal government has entered its 7th day. As the budget standoff continues, some federal agencies have been forced to temporarily close while others have to remain at their posts, working without pay. Of particular concern to the public is whether the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is still operational amidst the shutdown.
According to a report from the live program “Focus on Government Shutdown” by USA Today, some departments are still functioning while others have been temporarily suspended due to the shutdown.
Overall, approximately 2 million federal employees have had their pay suspended, with nearly 750,000 of them being placed on furlough. Other employees, including military personnel and air traffic controllers, are required to continue working without pay until a budget agreement is reached.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has stated that retirement benefits and disability payments will continue as usual, but about 12% of their employees have been forced to take leave, leading to the suspension of related promotional and marketing activities. However, expenditures under Medicare and Medicaid are unaffected.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has indicated in its shutdown plan that the largest food assistance programs, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), still have funding to operate.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) has confirmed that its operations are not reliant on congressional appropriations, and thus postal services will continue as normal, with post offices nationwide remaining open.
In the realm of air transportation, over 13,000 air traffic controllers and approximately 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials are still required to report to work, albeit without pay. It is projected that controllers will not receive their first paycheck on October 14th.
Similarly, nearly 2 million active-duty military personnel must remain on duty until the government reopens. President Trump has deployed National Guard troops to several cities to continue their duties. Special agents of federal law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Coast Guard, and others are also working as usual.
A majority of employees responsible for immigration courts under the Department of Justice are still on duty.
Within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and USCIS are all operating normally.
Immigration lawyer Omar Reyes informed WBIR that the majority of immigration-related services are currently unaffected, but there may be delays in certain aspects, such as work visas.
“Visa processing by the State Department is funded independently, so there is sufficient funding at this stage to continue issuing visas and related documents,” Reyes pointed out. He added, “While USCIS may be indirectly affected by other agencies, its overall operations should not be significantly impacted.”
However, Reyes acknowledged that USCIS has long been dealing with a backlog of cases and significant delays. “The problem with USCIS lies in the lack of internal review mechanisms, with hardly anyone tracking the progress of case processing,” Reyes said. “Cases that used to be completed in a matter of months are now often delayed by several years.”
As of Monday, the Senate has yet to reach a consensus on a budget proposal. Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, announced that the work period for House members in their districts will be extended until October 13th.