WASHINGTON, D.C. – FWD.us President Todd Schulte issued the following statement today after U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that many individuals living in the U.S. would now be forced to leave the country to get their green cards:

“Today’s announcement is a stark, deeply harmful, upheaval of more than 70 years of legislative, administrative, and judicial precedent. It will create chaos and impose massive costs on immigrants who have lived and worked legally in the United States for many years, as well as their spouses and children (many U.S. citizens), their communities, and the U.S. businesses who employ them. It is the newest effort in an all-of-government approach to trying to make America a cruel place for immigrants–a process that is hurting all Americans.

“The majority of people who are approved for green cards each year adjust their status from within the U.S., as provided under law since the 1950s. The Trump administration’s claim that this is a “return to the original intent of the law” is plainly false. This process was expressly created by Congress and has been affirmed multiple times over decades. This is another abuse of power that they are trying to dictate through press release rather than going through the legally required process. The lack of clarity around who is impacted is already causing panic and confusion.

“Forcing people, many who have already waited years, to leave the U.S. for processes that often take months and years will massively disrupt our legal immigration system; moreover, this administration seems intent to create more backlogs and delays by design. It will harm businesses who will lose critical workers for months or years and American families who will be separated from a spouse or parent indefinitely.”