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The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the creation of a specialized unit to strengthen the detection of “terrorists, foreign criminals, and other foreign nationals” who pose a potential threat to public safety or have committed fraud or other crimes.
The new structure, called USCIS Background Check Center, will be based in Atlanta and aims to centralize "enhanced" verifications of immigration applications and petitions, a change that affects any nationality applying for immigration benefits, including Cubans.
"It will be responsible for reviewing pending applications, as well as a more comprehensive review of already approved foreign applications. The reviews will prioritize applications from countries of interest designated by the president," USCIS stated about the center.
According to the statement, the center will leverage review capabilities on both classified and unclassified information and will conduct a more thorough "complementary" analysis of files.
USCIS affirmed that the plan includes the use of cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, and support from research resources of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
The USCIS director, Joseph B. Edlow, justified the measure by stating that the agency's role "has never been more crucial" and cited "recent violent incidents," including an attack by a foreign national against National Guard members on U.S. soil.
Edlow also stated that, unlike the previous approach—which he described as focused on streamlining processes without considering impacts—under the presidency of Donald Trump, more safeguards are being implemented to prevent "fraud, deception, and threats" from undermining the immigration system.
The new unit will not be limited to reviewing new cases. USCIS indicated that it will also conduct a more comprehensive review of already approved applications and that it will prioritize cases from "countries of interest" designated by the president, without specifying in the announcement which countries those would be.
The establishment of the center is positioned as part of a series of recent measures linked to Executive Order 14161, including a pause on affirmative asylum decisions, proposed rules to strengthen verification processes before extending work permits, and the creation of special USCIS agents with law enforcement authority to investigate, arrest, and process immigration violations, according to the same text.
In the background, the document also mentions that the administration Trump is considering expanding travel restrictions for citizens from "at least 30 or 32 countries", a possibility driven by Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, following a recent shooting in Washington D.C. that became a rationale for tightening filters.
Currently, the United States maintains total or partial restrictions for 19 countries under a presidential proclamation dated June 4, 2025, and DHS has indicated that it will announce an updated list "soon," without specifying which nations will be included.
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