Sarah Pierce

Read the full letter here: www.gallego.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

Also great work by @gallego.senate.gov & 29 Dem senators drawing attention to this issue.

The Senators say it best: "This diversion represents...a stunning abdication of the basic responsibilities of the executive branch to the American people, and a direct threat to the security of...the country."

Read this.

Former USCIS Officials: There Is a Quiet Immigration Crisis No One Is Watching | Opinion What is at stake is this nation’s ability to manage immigration in a way that is consistent with its laws.

I’m incredibly proud of the four former USCIS civil servants who joined me on this op-ed, and the dozens more who contributed.

We want a fair, lawful immigration — for families, workers, students, and employers — read the full op-ed & share your thoughts. www.newsweek.com/former-uscis...

The damage inflicted by this administration endangers whether we can have an immigration system that works — one that reflects our laws and our ideals.

The damage we’re describing won’t disappear after an election.

It lingers in the battered and reoriented workforce— through backlogs, wrongful denials, and a system no one trusts anymore.

That matters — not just for people waiting years for green cards, work permits, or family reunification — but for U.S. citizens, businesses, universities, and our economy.

A hollowed-out USCIS doesn’t make America safer — it makes the system slower, harsher, and more unpredictable.

USCIS is no longer functioning as the agency Congress created — one that administers the lawful immigration system.

Instead, it’s increasingly enforcement-oriented, politicized, and opaque.

Collectively, we spent 84 years inside USCIS, across 6 administrations. What we’re seeing now is not normal.

We are witnessing a quiet crisis in the legal immigration system—the deterioration of the very agency that is supposed to make immigration work fairly and predictably.

Former USCIS Officials: There Is a Quiet Immigration Crisis No One Is Watching | Opinion What is at stake is this nation’s ability to manage immigration in a way that is consistent with its laws.

I wrote out all that I was seeing and what started as my own experience quickly became something shared by dozens of former USCIS colleagues — all alarmed at the same thing.

This op-ed is the result of that collective voice: www.newsweek.com/former-uscis...

Last April, I left @uscisgov.bsky.social heartbroken by how career civil servants were treated — and honestly terrified for what that meant for America’s legal immigration system. What I saw inside wasn’t normal — and I couldn’t unsee it.

“The single biggest difference between this version of the Trump administration and the last one is the shift from the border to the interior of the country.”

@sarahpierce.bsky.social details how the administration’s anti-immigrant agenda has reshaped immigration enforcement across the country.

Trump’s Crackdown in Wake of Shooting Blocks Legal Pathways for Migrants

We need USCIS focused on integrity, speed, and fairness—not political theater.

Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/u...

From the inside & out, USCIS is being pushed away from its Congressionally-mandated mission and into immigration enforcement

As I told NYT, when USCIS is used for rapid-response enforcement or mass “re-vetting,” everyone loses—families, employers, & the system’s credibility.

Workload and Adjudication Statistics

Because why would you show up for court and risk being arrested and taken into custody, just for trying to apply for lawful status?

The data is available here: www.justice.gov/eoir/workloa...

New data shows the Trump administration's attack on due process is working exactly as intended...

In FY25, in absentia removal orders (those handed down when a noncitizen fails to show up for immigration court) increased by 40% overall & by more than 160% for asylum applicants.

“Hiding your friends as subcontractors is like playing hide the salami with the taxpayer,” - Charles Tiefer

ICE Is Poaching Local Officers, Angering Some Police Chiefs and Sheriffs A new ICE hiring drive with big signing bonuses is pulling state and local talent into federal jobs, straining departments already struggling to retain staff.

The National Sheriff's Association's statement: sheriffs.org/sites/defaul...

Another article on the poaching efforts, some of which have included DIRECT EMAILS to officers with cash incentives: www.governing.com/management-a...

The National Sheriff's Association pushback was biting:

"[T]his list has not only violated the core principles of trust, cooperation, and partnership with fellow law enforcement, but it also has the potential to strain the relationship between Sheriffs and the White House"

Effective immigration enforcement depends on cooperation with local police — not conflict.

Yet this administration keeps undermining that partnership: first with a bogus “sanctuary list" it deleted after sheriffs pushed back.

Now by poaching police to quickly fill ICE’s ranks.

OPINION: On New Mexico's border, ICE's raids are making us less safe If you log onto social media today, you’ll see a horrifying reel of ICE’s increasingly brutal immigration enforcement tactics.

@repgabevasquez.bsky.social with a great pro-law enforcement message against ICE's recent tactics: www.abqjournal.com/opinion/arti...

"In Albuquerque and elsewhere, ICE has attempted to recruit officers from local law enforcement, a desperate move local police chiefs rightly warn will compromise local public safety. Diverting local officers from investigating violent crimes... does nothing to make our streets safer."

What Trump’s War on Sanctuary Cities Is Really About

For a smart look at both history and policy:
📰 NYT Magazine: “Trump, Sanctuary Cities & States’ Rights” nytimes.com/2025/10/17/m...
💡 My Third Way memo: “Sanctuary Isn’t What You Think" thirdway.org/memo/sanctua...

That's what I explored in my @thirdway.bsky.social memo: EVERY jurisdiction participates in federal immigration enforcement, but each tailors how to protect trust and keep people safe amid Washington’s overreach.

In so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions, police aren’t blocking ICE. They’re deciding how much to help, weighing public safety needs and limited resources — the same calculation any responsible department makes.

The piece shows this tension isn’t new — it’s part of a long fight over who controls enforcement: Washington or local officials on the ground who know their communities best.

“Sanctuary cities” aren’t lawless — they’re practical. Local police are balancing safety and resources while D.C. plays politics. NYT Magazine's latest backs up what I argued for @thirdway.bsky.social: sanctuary policies are about smart governance, not defiance.

Kristi Noem Says ICE Will Be ‘All Over’ the Super Bowl

Homeland Security Investigations has played a leading role in combatting human trafficking, but President Trump re-wrote the agency’s mission on day 1 to focus instead on his deportation quota.

This is not an administration that is serious about public safety.

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/04/a...

Screen shot of a NY Times article entitled “Kristi Noem says ICE will be ‘all over’ the Super Bowl”

Human trafficking spikes at events like the Super Bowl. Yet this admin is deploying ICE to arrest “illegal aliens” in response to a halftime performance.

They’ve pulled officers who fight trafficking to instead do civil immigration enforcement—a perfect snapshot of their broken priorities.

Excited to share my first piece with @thirdway.bsky.social: breaking down what “sanctuary” really means—and why the Trump admin’s narrative doesn’t match reality.

Spoiler: every jurisdiction in America helps ICE. Here’s the real story ⬇️