Current Director of USCIS, L. Francis Cissna, has reportedly told his staff that he will be leaving his post at the end of the month. He is set to be replaced by Ken Cuccinelli, a staunch conservative and former Virginia attorney general. Unlike Cissna, Cucinelli does not appear to have any significant immigration experience. He is known to be an immigration hardliner, however, and in the past has advocated abhorrent policies such as prohibiting undocumented immigrants from attending universities and repealing birthright citizenship. While it is difficult to be sympathetic with the direction that USCIS has taken under Director Cissna’s leadership, the alternative appears to be much, much worse. With such an appalling and unqualified individual set to head up USCIS, it can only spell trouble for both employment-based and family-based immigration alike. We will have to remain vigilant and prepared to fight whatever new obstacles and challenges arise as a result of this shakeup in leadership.
Please see this article from the Washington Post for more detail.