Moulton Seeks Answers from DHS, USCIS Regarding Reassignment of USCIS Staff in New England to Minnesota

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06) sent a letter to Secretary Kristi Noem of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow requesting detailed information about recent reports concerning USCIS employees based in New England being reassigned to Minnesota. The Trump Administration’s deadly operation in Minnesota represents unprecedented overreach and a surge of federal immigration resources that have brought fear and disruption to everyday Americans. The reassignments have raised serious concern about staff safety, mission drift, and the potential impact on an already-strained immigration processing system. 

In the letter, Congressman Moulton requests DHS and USCIS to clarify the nature and purpose of the reassignments, what protections are in place for affected employees, and how the agencies plan to ensure these moves do not add to ongoing delays that have pushed USCIS application backlogs to historic levels.

Rep. Moulton’s letter requests that DHS and USCIS provide information on the following:

• How many officers have been reassigned, and what rights do the assigned officers have to decline the reassignment. 
• What are the specific purposes for these reassignments?
• What specific training, if any, have these employees received to perform enforcement duties, and what safety protocols are in place for them?
• What steps is USCIS taking to ensure its massive backlog of applications does not grow further due to these reassignments?

USCIS’s most recent quarterly data—covering the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 (January through March)—shows that case completions have declined sharply while pending cases hit an historic high. The agency completed approximately 2.7 million cases in Q2, an 18% decline from the same period last year, while its pending caseload climbed to more than 11.3 million, the highest level in over a decade.

The full letter can be read here.

###