The U.S. agency that handles residency and citizenship applications this week stopped referring to the United States as a "nation of immigrants" in its mission statement, a change that prompted raised eyebrows in Washington.
The revised mission statement, first reported on Thursday, was noted in a letter from the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to agency employees as a change to "guide us in the years ahead."
The beginning of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services mission statement, as recently as Wednesday, read:
USCIS secures America's promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.
The statement now reads:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation's lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.
USCIS says the new wording was developed by director L. Francis Cissna, who said it clearly defines the agency's role and makes clear who it serves.
美国负责居留与入籍申请事项的政府部门本周起停止在其使命声明中称美国为“移民国家”。这项改变在华盛顿引起一阵哗然。
美国公民及移民服务局(USCIS)这项修改过的使命声明最先于周四被媒体报道。USCIS局长在写给单位职员的信件中表示这是“在未来这些年将指引我们”的改变。
直到星期三，USCIS的使命声明开头还是：
“USCIS确保美国作为移民国家的承诺，为我们的客户提供准确和有用的信息、核准移民与公民身分福利、提升对公民身分的意识与了解，并且确保我们移民体系的公正。”
现在改成了下面的词句：
“美国公民及移民服务局管理国家的合法移民系统，有效率而且公平地裁决关于移民福利的请求，同时保障美国人、确保国土安全，并尊崇我们的价值，以此来守护这个系统的公正与承诺。”
USCIS表示，新的用词是由局长希斯纳(L. Francis Cissna)构思出来的，希斯纳认为这清楚地界定了USCIS的角色，也说明了服务对象。