On Wednesday June 11th, the Senate Judiciary Committee held an oversight hearing of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which featuring testimony from DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson in his first appearance before the committee since his confirmation in December (Watch the hearing in its entirety on C-Span.org at this link).
Secretary Jeh Johnson testified at a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on the Department of Homeland Security. The focus of the hearing was on immigration policy and mounting human and economic costs of failing to enact meaningful immigration reform. The Honorable Chairman Patrick Leahy, who spoke at IIUSA’s EB-5 Advocacy Conference in May, lamented the inaction on the part of House follow the Senate in passing comprehensive immigration reform and also urged DHS to address the substantial visa processing delays in the EB-5 Program which are “threatening to undermine economic development where it is needed most.”
Secretary Johnson’s testimony focused on DHS efforts to protect U.S. borders, national security and public safety (read full written testimony here). Yet, Sec. Johnson noted, “Whatever we do to revise our enforcement policies, there is no substitute for comprehensive immigration reform passed by Congress.”
Voicing concerns on EB-5 in his opening remarks was the Honorable Ranking Member Charles Grassley. IIUSA continues to meet with Mr. Grassley’s office to answer any questions about his concerns as we strongly believe that the positive economic impact that the Program is responsible for far outweigh the issues caused by the inevitable “bad apples” that are far from indicative of the industry at large.
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Offices (IPO), which is administered by USCIS within the Department of Homeland Security, is undergoing a transformation under new EB-5 Program Chief Nicholas Colucci. In his remarks on May 8th at IIUSA’s EB-5 Advocacy Conference, Mr. Colucci noted that at the end of May there would be “upwards of 75 staff on board…almost a 40 percent increase from the end of February.” IPO staffers also continue to participate in ongoing professional development in an effort to boost efficiency, and (ultimately) morale within the office.
The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program Offices (IPO), which is administered by USCIS within the Department of Homeland Security, is undergoing a transformation under new EB-5 Program Chief Nicholas Colucci. In his remarks on May 8th at IIUSA’s EB-5 Advocacy Conference, Mr. Colucci noted that at the end of May there would be “upwards of 75 staff on board…almost a 40 percent increase from the end of February.” IPO staffers also continue to participate in ongoing professional development in an effort to boost efficiency, and (ultimately) morale within the office.
