DHS Watch : President Signs DHS Appropriations Act
Posted Oct 17, 2003

President Bush signed the first homeland security appropriations bill into law on October 1, 2003. This law, known as the DHS Appropriations Act, Public Law Number 108-90, creates a budget of $37.6 billion for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The main source of funding in the amount of $30.4 billion is appropriated government funding. The remaining $7.2 billion is from the collection of fees, such as the fees paid to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS or CIS). However, the sum collected in fees far exceeds the entire CIS budget.

CIS Budget

The CIS budget for fiscal year 2004 is $1.8 billion. This amount only includes $236 million in appropriated funding. The remaining $1.6 billion is from projected fee revenues. This amount includes the third installment of the $100 million toward President Bush's $500 million initiative to speed up all case processing to 6 months. Of this amount, $20 million is granted through the collection of premium processing fees, and $80 million is appropriated funding. Though this is the third year this funding has been granted, the CIS reportedly does not expect to reach this goal within this fiscal year.

CBP and ICE to Hire New Agents

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) budget includes $41 million to hire up to 570 additional Border Patrol Agents. More agents will mean increased scrutiny at the land, seaport, and airport borders.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) received $6.7 million to hire 51 more Special Agents for their Compliance Enforcement Office. These agents are expected to follow up on "overstays" (foreign nationals who have stayed in the U.S. beyond the authorized periods) that are identified by the US-VISIT, SEVIS, and NSEERS entry / exit systems.

US-VISIT Funding

The new U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) appropriation is $330 million, which will be under the direct control of the Under Secretary of Border and Transportation Security (BTS). Congress, however, was concerned about privacy issues that arise through US-VISIT and has required the DHS to submit a privacy policy, protecting information in the US-VISIT system, and a monthly report on the system's deployment to Congress beginning on October 15, 2003.

Conclusion

As expected, significant portions of the DHS budget focus on security rather than services or benefits. It is particularly noteworthy that the fees generated greatly exceed the budget given to CIS for service-related benefits. It remains important that, with the high level of focus on security, MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers keep their statuses current. One should seek advice from a qualified immigration attorney, if there is any concern that the status is not current or if there is any error on the I-94 card or status approval notice. Vigilance is the first step towards clearing any problems as soon as they occur!