Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

LAST September 14, USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas announced the opening of the USCIS’ new "Office of Public Engagement" (OPE). In keeping with the Obama Administration’s promise to provide open and transparent government, the OPE will dedicate itself to "open, candid and constructive" collaboration with all groups and individuals with a stake in the Immigration Debate, including public interest organizations and immigration attorneys. The news could not have come sooner, as most commentators expect the Immigration Reform debate to take center stage in the coming months as health-care reform legislation is finalized.

Although USCIS stands for US Citizenship and Immigration Services," the agency and its predecessor "Immigration and Naturalization Service" have long been criticized for not providing quality, dignified customer service to its many "customers," which include individuals, corporations and immigration attorneys. Declaring that "Public Service is our Mission," Director Mayorkas believes the OPE will "more actively and ably elicit the views of those whom (USCIS) serves, and will enable us to better collaborate with them as our agency develops and administers the policies that further our mission."

The USCIS has previously attempted to improve its reputation in the area of public service, deploying motivational posters and slogans throughout its offices designed to remind USCIS workers of who they work for and the dignity and respect they deserve. Such laudable initiatives have repeatedly fallen short. The creation of the OPE, however, marks the first time that a specific office has been dedicated to community engagement, intergovernmental affairs and protocol. Mayorkas anticipates that engaging immigration stakeholders will help inform and direct the USCIS’ new policy guidelines and the intergovernmental affairs initiative will improve the USCIS’ ability to interface with local, state and Federal officials in other agencies.

Director Mayorkas has already appointed Mariela Melero, who has more than 20 years experience in the USCIS, to serve as the OPE’s inaugural Director. Mayorkas praised Melero for her "deep understanding of USCIS’ mission and importance to the vitality of the US." Once established, Director Mayorkas plans to hold a series of community stakeholder meetings, not unlike the "townhall meetings" so prevalent of late, to ensure that the immigration debate and dialogue is not confined to Washington D.C. and will extend to every USCIS District Office jurisdiction throughout the US.

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Daniel P. Hanlon is a California State Bar Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law and a principal of Hanlon Law Group, PC, located at 225 S. Lake Ave., 11th Floor in Pasadena, California; tel. No. (626) 585-8005. Hanlon Law Group, PC is a "full-service Immigration Law firm." E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and www.hanlonlawgroup.com

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( Published on September 19, 2009 in Asian Journal Los Angeles p. C2 )