US democrats seek probe into visa curbs

Washington, April 25 Top Senate Democrats have formally asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate what they described as sweeping Trump administration actions that have disrupted the US legal immigration system, including halts in visa processing and fresh scrutiny of previously approved green cards and citizenship cases.

In a set of letters led by Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, lawmakers said the administration’s moves — including pausing immigration benefits processing and launching “re-reviews” of approved applicants — have created widespread uncertainty for immigrants, employers, and families.

“We are deeply concerned that these changes… are an attempt to circumvent the statutory scheme for lawful immigration to the United States, rather than a legitimate exercise in improving the integrity of our immigration system,” the senators wrote.

The request comes amid what Democrats describe as an unprecedented shift in policy. According to the lawmakers, the administration has halted most immigrant benefits processing for applicants from dozens of countries, suspended visa processing more broadly, and curtailed refugee and asylum pathways.

At the same time, officials have proposed revisiting cases already approved under the previous administration — including those involving lawful permanent residents and naturalized US citizens.

In their letter, senators warned that such re-reviews risk targeting individuals without clear justification. “We are concerned that these re-reviews are a pretext for targeting immigrants and naturalized US citizens for unwarranted scrutiny and selective enforcement,” they said.

The lawmakers also pointed to internal government actions, including directives allowing authorities to detain and re-interview certain refugees who have lived in the United States for extended periods but have not yet adjusted to permanent residency status.

They cited instances where refugees were subjected to additional vetting under specific operations, raising concerns about due process and consistency in enforcement.

The senators’ letters ask the GAO to examine a wide range of issues, including how many individuals have been affected, the criteria used to select cases for re-review, whether artificial intelligence tools were deployed in the process, and the overall cost and impact on the immigration system.

Lawmakers also pressed for clarity on whether the re-reviews have produced different outcomes from original approvals and what safeguards exist for individuals facing potential adverse decisions.

“Members of the public… continue to lack clarity on what steps USCIS and the State Department are taking to resume their normal adjudicative missions,” the senators wrote.

The Department of Homeland Security has not publicly provided detailed explanations to Congress on the scope or rationale behind the changes, according to the lawmakers.

The letters were signed by several senior Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Dick Durbin, Chris Coons, Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, and others.

Immigration policy remains one of the most contentious issues in US politics, with sharp divides between Democrats and Republicans over enforcement, asylum access, and legal migration pathways.

The GAO, an independent, nonpartisan watchdog agency, frequently conducts investigations at the request of Congress into federal programs and administrative actions. Its findings can influence legislative oversight and potential policy changes but do not carry direct enforcement authority.

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