澳彩开奖

Kirchner had been ombudsman at the agency that鈥檚 part of the Department of Homeland Security since January 2017. From 2007 to 2015, she was executive director of the anti-immigrant hate group Federation for American Immigration Reform听(贵础滨搁).

On Monday, 聽first reported on an internal Department of Homeland Security email announcing her resignation. In April, 聽was floated to replace L. Francis Cissna as director of USCIS. The job instead went to Ken Cuccinelli, who is serving in an acting role.

Julie Kirchner was executive director of the anti-immigrant group Federation for American Immigration Reform before becoming an adviser to Donald Trump's campaign and then joining the Trump administration. (Twitter)

Requests to the Department of Homeland Security from Hatewatch for comment about Kirchner鈥檚 resignation went unanswered. A source told 聽that Kirchner resigned because she is moving away from Washington. Politico 聽a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security said she was departing 鈥渧oluntarily for family reasons.鈥�

Kirchner was a controversial hire at USCIS given her history with FAIR. Her selection as ombudsman underscored the unprecedented access leaders in the anti-immigrant movement had in the Trump administration. is responsible for assisting with individual immigration cases and identifying ways to improve the agency鈥檚 services.

The agency is reportedly facing , some of which critics say appear to be by design. The American Immigration Lawyers Association 聽in January citing 鈥渃risis-level delays in the agency's processing of applications and petitions for immigration benefits under the Trump administration.鈥�

In February, U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who chaired the House Oversight and Reform Committee, 聽to Kirchner demanding answers about the reported backlogs. Cummings questioned Kirchner鈥檚 commitment to the agency鈥檚 mission given her history with FAIR. 鈥淸M]y office has received reports that you may be failing to effectively carry out these functions. These concerns are particularly troubling in light of your past work as Executive Director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which asserts that its mission is to 鈥榬educe overall immigration,鈥� including by 鈥榬educing legal immigration,鈥� 鈥� the congressman wrote. Cummings died Oct. 17.

During Kirchner鈥檚 tenure at FAIR, the group advocated for 聽toward immigrants, including the repeal of birthright citizenship, which is guaranteed by the .

FAIR has been vilifying immigrants and lobbying to pass anti-immigrant ordinances at the federal, state and local level for 40 years. FAIR was founded in 1979 by the late John Tanton, an avowed eugenicist and architect of the modern-day, anti-immigrant movement. Tanton started FAIR, along with a network of anti-immigrant groups, to carry out his racist immigration goals, which included maintaining a clear 鈥淓uropean-American majority鈥� and staving off a 鈥淟atin [American] onslaught,鈥� according to letters written by him.

聽in August 2015 to work as an adviser to Donald Trump鈥檚 presidential campaign. In 2017, she briefly 聽to then-acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan. Trump tapped McAleenan to replace Kirstjen Nielsen as acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security in April. McAleenan announced earlier this month that he would be .

Kirchner鈥檚 exit does not appear to signal a change at the agency. Cuccinelli has proven to be a hard-liner in his own right. A controversial public charge rule that would hurt low-income immigrants was scheduled to go into effect Oct. 15, but 聽the policy.

On Sept. 25, Cuccinelli appeared at FAIR鈥檚 annual media and networking event, , which brings together anti-immigrant figures, conservative radio-show hosts and politicians. The following day, he spoke at an event聽organized by the Center for Immigration Studies,聽another anti-immigrant hate group.

Civil rights and advocacy groups welcomed Kirchner鈥檚 departure.

鈥淛ulie Kirchner鈥檚 former role as the Ombudsman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was evidence of the strong ties that this administration has had with anti-immigrant groups,鈥� said Jessica Cobian, senior campaign manager for anti-hate and immigration at the Center for American Progress, in a statement to Hatewatch.

Cobian reiterated Kirchner鈥檚 ties to FAIR, noting she 鈥渟pent her career lobbying for anti-immigrant policies and propagating ideologies that dehumanize immigrants of color.鈥�

鈥淕iven her background, Kirchner鈥檚 tenure at USCIS only undermined the important role of the agency,鈥� Cobian said.

Michael Dougherty, who is the assistant secretary for border, immigration and trade policy at the Department of Homeland Security, is expected to take Kirchner鈥檚 place as USCIS ombudsman, .

Photo illustration by 澳彩开奖