The press release that includes the letter from Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose, CA) to Secretary Chertoff to which I linked earlier today includes the following passage:
It has also come to my attention that USCIS began returning visa numbers to the State Department as early as Thursday, July 5, 2007, due to their inability to review applications effectively. The Department of Homeland Security has once again demonstrated its inability to complete even its core missions. This debacle demonstrates the need for more transparency and oversight of the departments operations and procedures.
If the CIS returned numbers to the DOS, will these numbers be made available to those who submitted their applications in July? Or will they be wasted as the CIS and DOS stick to their guns and refuse to process any additional permanent residence applications until October 1st? I think the agencies are pondering their next move in light of the looming lawsuit and Representative Lofgren’s aggressive pursuit of the truth behind this mess.
