The usual outcry from people concerned about “illegal aliens” in the United States benefitting from legislation such as a DREAM-like Act, amnesty, or comprehensive immigration reform is that those that benefit from such legislation will end up going to the head of the line to the detriment of those who played by the rules. The fallacy of the argument is that illegal aliens face severe penalties that not only force them to the end of the line but create situations…

An internal USCIS memo floats the idea of making some reforms at USCIS. I recall no other time when the immigration adjudications branch of the U.S. government has begun such a comprehensive analysis of its programs and policies. Some of what is contemplated is procedural in nature – such as reviewing all of USCIS’s policy memoranda to make sure they are internally coherent, publishing regulations to explain how certain laws should be implemented, and figuring out how to make certain programs,…