Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin spoke briefly about the facility — a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, application processing center — and its purpose.
"Restoring integrity to our national immigration policy is our top priority," Mullin said during a short speech to facility staff and press. "We cannot have a secure nation if we do not know who's in this country."
Such centers offer appointment-based services – mainly obtaining biometric scans – for a wide range of immigrants in the U.S., from those obtaining residency and citizenship to people applying for visas, working through humanitarian parole cases or navigating other administrative and legal proceedings while residing in the country. The Edmond location is set to serve Oklahoma and parts of the Texas Panhandle.
Mullin said having a larger facility, with the right tech and staff, means immigrants — who he calls "customers" — have the best first impression of U.S. immigration services possible.
"That first impression does mean so much," Mullin said, addressing the staff. "From the front desk, to even the interview that we were talking about with family visas, about understanding the people that are trying to game the system…they come in and they try to bring in kids that aren't even really their kids to say that it is their kids to try to move forward. You guys have to see through all that."
The agency's growth, represented by new physical locations like the one in Edmond and others across the country, is a symbol of President Donald Trump's continued efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and related fraud, Mullin said.
"This work reflects the broader DHS commitment under President Trump to strengthen our immigration system while safeguarding the security of the homeland," he said. "Today's opening reflects that commitment and provides our workforce with the space and resources needed to carry out the mission."
