The Department of Homeland Security is expanding the office that handles citizenship and issues visas and green cards to include a slew of new law enforcement officers, empowering them to “investigate, arrest and present for prosecution those who violate America’s immigration laws.”
In a statement Thursday, Joseph Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the new law enforcement arm would “enforce the laws of this nation.”
“This historic moment will better address immigration crimes, hold those that perpetrate immigration fraud accountable, and act as a force multiplier for DHS and our federal law enforcement partners, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force,” the statement reads.