Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at airports and at port of entries continue to operate as usual, though without pay. The level of their functioning remains questionable given the treatment of asylum seekers at the border.
Immigration court backlogs continue to grow unabated. Most courts are not holding any non-detained hearings but continue to accept filings and expect immigration lawyers to meet deadlines, including the one-year bar for asylum filings. Many judges have returned to court to adjudicate cases of detainees in immigration custody without pay. Similarly, the Board of Immigration Appeals continues to accept filings and continues to expect immigration lawyers to meet deadlines.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues to arrest and detain individuals but functions such as Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and public affairs activities are suspended during this time.
Consular services in most countries remain operational though people are advised to check with the individual consulates responsible for their cases to see what services are available.
Because USCIS is fee-funded, it remains largely operational. People should continue to apply for affirmative benefits such as asylum and green cards and expect interviews to be scheduled per usual.
Some USCIS programs, however, will either expire or suspend operations, or be otherwise affected, until they receive appropriated funds or are reauthorized by Congress. These include:
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