U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained San Diego community members on overstayed visas who attended green card interviews at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices. These detentions mark a shift in how ICE and USCIS respond to green card applicants who have overstayed a visa. Previously, ICE classified these individuals as a lower priority for arrest.
USCIS lists eight different green card types. The process for approval varies by type, with the longest average approval time being 11 months. An interview is the last step of the application process before receiving a decision.
According to KPBS, it is very common for visas to expire during this decision period. Immigration lawyers state that ICE has claimed the most common reason for the USCIS interview arrests has been due to overstayed visas…