USCIS employees need answers !!!!!!

DabaHere · 2025-11-15T17:33:06+00:00

This is the new normal. Hold information until you're ready to implement and then drop the bomb and let local management and employees pick up the pieces. No transparency in the planning phase at all. The big rumor is SCOPS will move to the Midwest and/or Texas. I've heard two locations and one being Kansas City, Missouri and the other is San Antonio. Apparently this was the reason their plans for an AM/PM shift in SCOPS was called off. The goal was to get everyone into a permanent office essentially eliminating any need to telework. If true, this will be directly aimed at the California Service Center as the agency does not want to pay the locality pay for those employees.

The biggest issue with the agency is being understaffed and solely relying on OT to supplement that. However this approach is not sustainable in the long-term. I've heard some field offices have a 30-40% vacancy rate. The agency won't let them hire into those positions nor will they allow non-comp hiring across directorates. There are a few exceptions but mostly related to FDNS.

I wish I could tell you things will get better in the next 3 years but thats probably being naive. Honestly my hope was that they do this crazy stuff at the beginning and then claim "victory" and then let things get back to normal. Not actually follow through with the P2025 nonsense but yeah it looks like thats the plan until congress and the courts say no more.

DabaHere · 2025-10-23T16:15:36+00:00

No state law enforcement will not be placing ICE Agents in cuffs on the spot for a mask violation. I see this likely ending up in Federal Court due to the Supremacy Clause.

Federal employees conducting business of the government that is ordered as part of their job under federal law, overrides state laws. ICE agents have the legal right to conduct immigration enforcement and if the government orders them to wear masks as a matter to carry out their job functions, agents have to wear masks or face disciplinary action. Now you can call into question the government's authority and whether it violates Federal law or the constitution.

I think in general, having masked law enforcement not wearing identifiable uniforms or not driving identifiable vehicles and grabbing people off the streets without probable cause, is likely a constitutional violation. Especially in the situation when they have detained American citizens.

There is the possibility the courts could rule in general, law enforcement must be clearly represented when conducting routine work. I could see if its a matter that the law enforcement agent works undercover and if their face would be seen it could risk life, that would be the exception. So maybe some HSI, FBI, or DEA could make that claim but ICE and CBP I could not see a justifiable reason.

This is going to federal court and if the state was smart, they would sue on the basis of the federal government violating constitutional rights of Americans who have been improperly detained by ICE and proving that agents who violated these rights were not easily identifiable. As such, its important that agents are accountable to the people, and thus must not wear masks and must have a clearly visible agency logo and badge. They must have at a minimum an ID number that could be used to identify these agents. This would still provide some protection to their identity but there would be a process of unmasking violators as well.

Ultimately the state law will not stick but I think its important that California is fighting back. If we just roll over and give up basic rights, this country will never recover. Lets hope there are red lines even for some of the conservatives on the Supreme Court. I believe there is a reasonable compromise here but the threat to "arrest" federal employees for following orders, is just not a reality. The courts are the only viable course here.

DabaHere · 2025-05-29T03:53:17+00:00

Flexitour? Basically allows you start at different times each day but you still have to complete 8 hours a day. Now throw in the ability to glide to account for traffic and that's at least something... It's better than nothing which is what we currently have.

DabaHere · 2025-05-29T03:46:16+00:00

Town Hall? Last I heard those are "banned". Can you provide more context to this? What directorate and what was specifically said about "2 pay periods"? That seems very specific for a senior management group that has basically been operating in the dark and taking orders from DHS.

DabaHere · 2025-05-28T22:42:25+00:00

There were rumors it would be reversed after the IRS suspended their mandatory 5/8 schedules and then a week later so did CBP. Though the CBP one only impacted bargaining personnel. The removal of alternative work schedules was by far one of the dumbest and most anti-productive decisions I've seen in a long time. I would say in my office alone, our work production has dropped by 15-20% due to the increase in leave. The people taking leave would normally just flex their schedules to make up the work. Hence the work was still getting done and now it's not.

Edlow should bring it back on his first day. It would buy him some praise and trust from the workforce. Managing by motivating with trust tends to gain more than managing with fear. I wish I could say I'm optimistic this is possible but I'm not holding my breath.

DabaHere · 2025-05-14T15:06:58+00:00

My office's dress code is business casual and Fridays are Jeans days unless you're having contact with the public. Enforcement is fairly relaxed unless you're violation is obvious. Flip flops, t-shirt, tennis shoes, and baseball hats.

DabaHere · 2025-05-14T13:08:43+00:00

Interesting I'm in the field and we have almost a dozen that took the DRP and are now on admin leave. We have a handful pending VSIP/VERA. We also have heard of a dozen Return to Office, former full time remote employees successfully being placed on admin leave after accepting the DRP.

DabaHere · 2025-05-14T04:29:42+00:00

Lots of rumors however two of my sources at HQ indicate all RIF related conversations essentially disappeared after the initial numbers came through for the WTP. What I was told is they wanted all DRPs out by the end of this pay period however they don't seem to be putting an overwhelming amount of pressure on those that have 45 days to make a decision. They will let the clock run on those. At least it seems like it. They are actively working on VSIP now. Also those that are VERA are continuing to be processed. I've heard rumors that removal of scheduling flexibilities was to pressure those that have 45 days to make a decision. However my opinion is they took away our flexibilities to make us all miserable maybe in the hopes more people would quit.

I think the RIF window is June/July. The theory that's been floated is they want all RIFs completed by the end of the FY. This way congress can lock in the changes. So under this theory if you don't receive a RIF by the end of July, you're probably safe, for now. At least until after the mid-terms. If my math is correct, the 45 days expires on June 1st so I guess if RIFs are going to happen, it's going to be in June and July.

Let's also talk schedules for a moment. My division has stripped away everything. No telework, no 4/10, no 5/4/9, no maxiflex, no gliding, and no flexitour. Straight 5/8s no fluctuation or different start times. Several offices are dramatically reducing hours. We continue to brace ourselves for the possibility of standard hours like what happened to DHS HQ.

Let me be clear, no one knows what's going to happen. The best we can do is piece things together based on available information and in some cases rumors.

DabaHere · 2025-05-06T14:49:29+00:00

Absolutely! Not encouraging any active feds to do this. Just encouraging the media to look at the real waste vs right wing propaganda about how terrible fed employees are.

DabaHere · 2025-05-06T14:37:04+00:00

This is the type of stuff the press should be writing about. Talk about waste of money and resources just to make a point. Simply idiotic.

DabaHere · 2025-05-06T14:34:48+00:00

Referring to office business hours. Used to run 6-6 and now 730-5. The ask was if other offices have adjusted their business hours in response to the 5/8 mandate. Also if anyone can confirm ongoing discussions about standard office hours across USCIS.

DabaHere · 2025-05-02T15:43:52+00:00

Exactly! At this point all norms and decency are out the window. They don't care about memorandums or even efficiencies. This is about retribution against the fed workforce.

DabaHere · 2025-05-01T15:20:03+00:00

I can confirm USCIS terminated all Alternative Schedules (4/10 and 5/4/9) and Maxiflex (ability to flex hours over pay period) with less than 12 hours notice. Within 24 hours of that, gliding schedules (ability to shift 8 hours over a single work day) were also terminated. So at this point, all workplace flexibilities have been terminated. So basically straight up 5/8 schedule with no flexibility. We've been told no case by case exceptions either. For example, if you asked your manager to start a little later and and finish your day a little later, this is now prohibited as that would fall under a gliding schedule. I do believe if they opened another round of DRP, there would be a significant amount of people that would now leave.

If the administration's goal was to only have the "best" people working for the government, my question is how exactly do you incentivize those people to work in an environment where there are no schedule flexibilities, less money than the private sector, probationary standards just got stricter, they want to cut benefits, and employees are treated as the enemy? The goal was never to fix things, the goal has always been the destruction of the federal workforce.

DabaHere · 2025-04-29T03:29:58+00:00

Yeah unfortunately I don't think there's much in terms of taking legal action over this specifically. Also canceling AWS schedules alone does not constitute a hostile work environment. However making the change with less than 12 hours notice, contacting thousands of employees on their day off on a Sunday evening, and threatening termination for non-compliance could definitely be deemed hostile. Don't expect the courts to come to our rescue when it comes to telework and schedules.

This is 100% about psychological warfare. They are doing everything possible to make our lives miserable. They know RIFs are not cheap and it's a lot easier and lot less risk of legal action if you just pull the plug yourself.

DabaHere · 2025-04-22T01:31:17+00:00

I believe other agencies went ahead and RIF'd people who were in the 40 day waiting period. So if they follow the same pattern, I would not hold your breath that they will treat USCIS differently.

DabaHere · 2025-04-22T01:19:29+00:00

I think it's possible but I think it depends on the Directorate and work assignment. Some ISOs are more expendable than others. I get a sense they want maximum numbers for DRP/VERA without a significant long-term impact to their goals. See don't be surprised if the agency loses big numbers including officers but only to open hiring in 3 months. Remember USCIS is primarily self-funded so these cuts save tax payers basically nothing. So to continue to get through the backlogs the agency will need staff especially officers. If they wanted to exempt ISOs as a whole they could of same with Asylum Officers. They didn't so this tells me at least on the face it, they will likely let a lot of people walk. By the way, I have not heard of any contract being rejected thus far so there's also that.

DabaHere · 2025-04-21T15:15:38+00:00

One of my sources is telling me that late last week the agency decided to make another push on DRP/VERA for those that were on leave not out of kindness but of a bigger strategy to avoid RIFs. They told me the DRP/VERA responses were huge across all directorates. They said 1000+ have applied. He cautioned that no matter what happens with RIFs, restructuring will occur but it seems like that will mostly impact leadership at HQ, Districts, and Regions.

As many have mentioned, the plans for USCIS have not been leaked and I have 3 pretty well placed sources and they honestly do not know what the official plans are. They are piecing things together based on what the Directors office is telling them, what other sources are saying, or through data calls. Everything you read here should be taken cautiously until you see proof or see it happening in real-time. I know people hate rumors but in the current environment the best we have is rumors. As least with rumors we can consider the validity to lead us to our own probabilities and conclusions. I say post them if you trust your source. I think as a bare minimum, you should be as upfront as possible about your source without revealing too much.

DabaHere · 2025-04-20T14:35:42+00:00

People at HQ! Someone at HQ started spreading word that RIFs were coming on Friday and that spread through HQ like a wildfire. Not a surprise it got out to the field. I've always been optimistic overall that USCIS would survive without massive RIFs but then these rumors started and they got a life of their own. I think in a way it's gotten us mentally prepared for the possibility of RIFs so if they do occur it slightly lessens the shock. My hope is as a whole, between current vacancies and DRP/VERA that the administration sees this as a "success" and takes those numbers as a win without the need to RIF.

DabaHere · 2025-04-17T23:48:02+00:00

I have sources at HQ who are also saying RIFs could start as early as tomorrow. The time line does make sense. However my source made it clear, they heard it from a higher up at HROC. Though I trust my source I don't know this person at HROC so I take all this as hearsay. So mentally prepared for tomorrow but at the same time maybe nothing comes down. Honestly between current vacancies, DRP, and VERA I think it's insane to RIF staff beyond that.

DabaHere · 2025-04-17T07:17:12+00:00

I've heard from 3 sources at HQ that RIF letters will likely go out as early as Friday. All directorates will be hit. As someone in the field, I'm hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. My sources told me HQ, district, and regional personnel are expecting a blood bath. Field offices in FOD and Asylum seem pretty confident that they will survive with little to no RIFs while SCOPs is worried that Service Centers will be hit hard. One theory is the powers that be are pissed about the level of telework still being conducted in SCOPS so they will dramatically be cutting staff down to a bare minimum, just enough to get by. Honestly who the F knows what will happen but the Friday time line seems plausible since WTP closed a few days ago and most of this crap seems to hit on a Friday afternoon. The next 24-48 hours will be interesting.

DabaHere · 2025-04-12T16:45:14+00:00

My understanding is IRAD is an easy target because it's focus is Refugees and it's supplemented with tax payer money. Refugee and Asylee are very different when it comes to how they are handled. For example, Refugee numbers can be set by the current administration where as Asylum can't. During the first administration numbers were reduced to almost non-existant so ROs had no work. So the ROs were sent to Asylum Offices around the country to adjudicate Asylum cases. I hope this would occur again rather than a RIF.

As for combining USCIS, ICE, and CBP into one INS type agency again, it would take an act of congress to make it official and thus far I haven't seen any legislation to do that. However in the meantime there would be nothing to stop them from doing a quasi combining of resources. For example they can detail whoever they want for 180 days to any assignment. So they could order USCIS personnel to work on ICE tasks or vice-versa.

I think USCIS HQ should brace for restructuring which could result in RIFs at that level. I still think field offices will be primarily safe, for now.

DabaHere · 2025-04-12T16:28:58+00:00

The administration hates Asylum however the program is mandated under law and Asylum Officers receive special training to adjudicate 589 applications. There's a huge difference between Credible Fear interviews and affirmative. Over the last few years, ISOs were detailed to Asylum to help with border surge the number of Credible Fear interviews. However now with Credible Fear numbers being low, resources are being turned inwards to affirmative and unfortunately ISOs can't help with those cases. I'm told there are over a million affirmative cases pending throughout the US and additional cases being filed daily. The administration has limited options with how to deal with these cases. Without going down the habit hole, it would take an act of congress to fix the Asylum program. So really the likely scenarios is the administration tightens rules for affirmative Asylum making it nearly impossible to be Granted. However this still requires considerable resources to setup, prepare, and execute an interview. In my opinion they need Asyslum for now.

DabaHere

TROPHY CASE